The protests sweeping the USA are hard to watch, but it is difficult to see them as anything but an inevitable result of the systemic injustice faced by Black communities in America. These are problems which are mirrored in the UK and in many other countries. Black lives matter, and we at Nerds of a Feather stand against racism and white supremacy in all its forms.
We acknowledge that this is far from the only political challenge facing the world at the moment: from Hong Kong to the Philippines to Brazil, many other countries are engaged in their own fights against authoritarianism and injustice. In recognising the Black Lives Matter movement specifically, we also recognise that this is one facet of a global struggle, and on an overwhelming number of fronts, we have much more to learn.
We are all here because we believe passionately in stories about what our world could be - our potential futures, our unrealised dreams. We are very far from realising a science fictional utopia; we may not get there for a long time yet. But if we believe that better worlds are possible, those of us with privilege must learn to listen to, and understand, the struggles of those without, in all contexts.
As a fanzine, we also want to reaffirm our commitment to showcasing the diverse voices of our genre, including Black creators, in our reviews, interviews and features. Ensuring that we showcase work from marginalised creators is an active process, and there is always more we could be doing and areas where we don't get it right. But we are here for that work, and that conversation, and we always intend to be.
Thank you for reading, much love to all, and we look forward to continuing to share our love of all things Nerd with you.
- Adri, Joe, The G and Vance
