Conventions, News

The Nerds of Color’s Official Statement on Universal FanCon

Well, yesterday was a bit of a day. Full disclosure: NOC was an “affiliate” of FanCon and I was listed as an “advisor.” What that means is that I attached my name and rep to this event because I believed in its mission.

I also facilitated intros between the organizers and some of the sponsors, celebrities, and artists who were scheduled to appear. We also promoted the event heavily across all of NOC’s social channels. I was not, however, involved in any of the day to day ops. Like everyone else I was floored by the cancellation notice and upset with the statement issued last night.

https://twitter.com/UniversalFanCon/status/987542621882146816

Questions abound. I have them; you have them. That FAQ doesn’t answer them. There’s a lot of understandable anger. And the organizers’ statement just exacerbated it.

I ordered a ton of books and merch to sell at our table next weekend. (If you want to help offset some of those costs, please consider purchasing from our TeePublic store or supporting us on Patreon.) But I’m local so I can eat those costs and still be okay. I can’t fathom what folks are feeling who have non-refundable plane tickets and UPS shipments on the road.

This is why I’ve been working with Uraeus from Black Heroes Matter and Patrick from New Release Wednesday to salvage this awful situation and provide something, ANYTHING, for the folks who feel burned a space to celebrate and showcase the talented communities who believed in FanCon.

Please DM on twitter or email us at info@thenerdsofcolor.org if you are a FanCon artist/vendor/attendee and provide an email so we can keep you informed of our efforts to organize a last minute pop up in Baltimore. We’re zeroing in on a space as we speak but will know more soon. There is also a Google Form by Angélique Roché going around for FanCon artists and vendors to submit to:

If you are trying to organize your own mini-event also reach out to to see if we can consolidate efforts too.

https://twitter.com/jermainedesign/status/987577426157948928

This is a shitty situation all around, but hopefully we can make something special emerge from the ashes of FanCon.