Film and television writer ReBecca Theodore-Vachon recently tweeted about the origins of her own nerdom, and in doing so, sparked a heartwarming conversation about all the black parents who’ve inspired their kids’ love of all things geek. Theodore-Vachon wrote that both she and her friend were introduced to science fiction through their black moms—an experience that directly contradicts the gross argument that sci-fi fandom somehow “belongs” to white dudes.
Having a really interesting convo with a friend and noting how both of our Black mamas introduced us to sci-fi. Black girl nerdom is not a recent phenomenon, we’ve always been here.
— ReBecca Theodore-Vachon (@FilmFatale_NYC) March 30, 2018
Other users quickly chimed in to share similar experiences with their parents.
My mom & step-Dad got me into horror & science fiction hella early. 2 years old. I remember my mom showing me Uhura on tv 4 the 1st time. My grandfather was into comic books like Weird Tales and Buck Rogers. Black folx have always been in the mix from jump.
— WhatFreshHellisThis? (@LisaBolekaja) March 30, 2018
Whether it was X-Men: The Animated Series …
My mom would wake us up to watch too. She only let me have my first boyfriend (behind my dad’s back, I was 13 lol) because his favorite mutant was Wolverine.
— MDiva (@HouseofSedgeNB) March 30, 2018
My momma got me intocomics and video games, I still remember watching the 90s X-men cartoon and playing her SNES as a little kid. I remember when we would go to arcades and she would race me to the House of the Dead games. I remember we spent like $50 to beat the 4th game lol
— blckgamingnerd (@erockbaby3000) March 30, 2018
… or Star Trek …
My Moms and I used to build computers and watch Star Trek… This was before computers in homes were a big thing. We were hardcore nerds. Hahaha
— Feefs (@LeFeefs) March 30, 2018
My Black mom raised me as a Trekkie. Definitely thought I was the only one.
— Klnscribe (@Klnscribe) March 30, 2018
Real talk. My mother put me onto Star Wars. Dead ass made me watch A new hope and The Empire strikes back on VHS. She also put me onto Star Trek. The way she stanned The next generation… https://t.co/yREyghbwqa
— Random J (@_RandomJ_) March 31, 2018
My mom (now in her mid 50s) dressed up as a Starfleet officer (before it was called cosplaying) and took me with her to see Star Trek when I was in elementary school. At the theater we ran into my principal, a Black woman who also had her uniform on.
— Benns-ke Urameshi (@bennsintheroad) March 30, 2018
… or Octavia Butler’s books …
My parents introduced me to Octavia Butler and it changed my life.
— Stephanie Smith (@Perstephon3) March 30, 2018
Mama had me watching Star Trek ToS, Dr. Who and reading Octavia Butler when I was little bitty.
— Aisha is ready for #FullMetalPanicIV (@AishaAdventures) March 30, 2018
… or The Twilight Zone …
It was first my father who got me into with “Alien” followed by “The Thing”. Both him and my mom solidified my love for the SciFi/Horror. All three of us use to cuddle on the couch and watch “The Twilight Zone” when I was a kid.
— Kasey (@bastylefilegirl) March 30, 2018
Sci-fi is life…Grew up on Ray Bradbury, Twilight Zone episodes and Outer Limits.
— Kyra Kyles (@thekylesfiles) March 31, 2018
… black women have been passionate fans of it since the beginning. And just like any other passionate fans, they’ve been introducing their favorite films and TV shows to their kids and their friends to spread the joy.
The would-be gatekeepers of nerd culture often try to act like women of color are some sort of recent addition to the fandom: interlopers and latecomers who are just faking now that superhero movies dominate the box office. But, as we’ve always known here at The Mary Sue, that’s blatantly untrue. Women of color, just like every other marginalized group, have always been here, whether they were starring in the original Star Trek, reading the earliest superhero comics, or writing groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy books.
(via SYFY Wire; image: screengrab/Marvel Entertainment)
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