by Ray Hayes
The Marvel film Black Panther has taken the world by storm. Everyone and I mean everyone fell in love with the heroes and even villains from Wakanda. With all the excitement from the film, many fans have been asking for more. Well, their wishes were granted with the Black Panther inspired Wakandacon which took place in Chicago this past August. According to Wakandacon co-creator Ali Barthwell, “We’re taking the experiences and the themes explored in ‘Black Panther’ and starting bigger conversations about them.”
Similar to Comic Con, the event brought together thousands of fans to celebrate pop culture, gaming, tech, comics, and most importantly Black Panther.
As reported on the Wakandacon website, “The Wakandacon space and the content we are featuring is being curated to be as inclusive as possible for all people. We want Wakandacon to be a diverse place in which everyone feels safe, supported, included, and encouraged to be themselves.”
The convention hosted more than 2,000 people at Chicago’s downtown Hilton hotel. Many young entrepreneurs attended the event and were allowed to sell their merchandise including Aaliyah Merrick a 14 year old Chicagoland native who sold her paintings and backpacks. Merrick spoke about her experience selling her merchandise at the convention stating, “A lot of people walking by and saying, ‘ooo! This looks like me, or this looks like someone I know. Watching them to see them compare it to themselves, it’s a very interesting thing to watch.”
There are already plans in place for the 2019 Wakandacon and we will be sure to keep you updated.
Wakanda Forever!!!!
For more information about the Chicago Wakandacon please visit – http://wakandacon2018.com/
