Dr. StrangeNerd or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Quirk

Standard Nerd Accoutrement

“You’re not like the black people I know. You’re a nerd” Nope this isn’t a line from the Twilight Zone *cue theme song* but the all too real words of friends and acquaintances in past years. And yup, they were sincere when they decided to typecast an entire race. Now this isn’t a ranting angry black woman post because I’m not the kind of person. I am however a nerdy black girl. And being so makes me a constant learner and thinker hopefully future professor of things that make you go “hmmm”.  So this is a matter of why for me. Why are some people mystified by the existence of nerds of the darker persuasion?

 Living in a relatively small town in the Midwest, I feel akin to a rare breed of Pokémon. 90’s references aside, it amazes me that other people think my fellow black nerdettes defy the laws of reality.  So why does this paradigm of insanity exist?

This issue arises from several levels. One being that until recently, nerds were not always “hip” in any group. This fact is intensified in some communities *cough cough black cough*. I’m sure everyone here can relate to the “acting white” accusations as a child (and possibly later years) because you thought outside the “black” box. The other side of this issue is much larger than one community but relates to how humans are in general. We all stereotype. And everyone has stereotypes. That’s not going to change anytime soon.

However what can change is how loud our voices are heard. This doesn’t necessarily mean go outside with a loud speaker and admonish the world for skewed perceptions. But it could mean just being you. Not being intimated or scared to try something new just because you‘re the only person in the room with Hershey chocolate skin. It means if you want to dress in cosplay, dress in cosplay, and don’t worry about the people who say so and so character has a different skin color.

It means that we can be complex, quiet, intelligent, shy, sweet along with kickass, loud, and assertive. It’s all about being you and rockin’ it.

My name is Shanna Evans. And I am a Black Girl Nerd.