What is up Nerd Lighters! Level_Z0r0 here to welcome and wish you all an amazing Black History Month.

Now some of you I know that read my posts may not be familiar with this month-long celebration because you may live outside of the U.S. But let me tell you how important this month of February is to me. Not only is it a chance to learn more about my history, but it is also a chance to celebrate the wonderful, talented, and creative Black voices we have in all spaces.

This month also signals new beginnings. As I watch other bloggers, YouTubers, and digital creators share their stories and celebrate other Black voices I can see the encouragement and drive. It helps me get my ish together so I can be one of those voices. There’s so much I want to tell the world and so much I want to say/do in anime and in gaming. I know I’m not the only one who can look to our ancestors for inspiration and guidance.

This month I will try showcase and spotlight those Black voices that have impacted me and my journey in the gaming and anime space. And please hear me when I say that there are so many people who have added to the spaces of anime and gaming. I’m just choosing this month to light up some of my favorites who also look like me.

A few of YouTubers that have made some of their own strides in both communities would be my favorites RDCWorld1 and CalebCity.

If you haven’t watched them or seen them on YouTube, where have you been?? Now let me go ahead and say they are not for Nerd Lighters who get offended with cursing. I’ll give y’all some cool people to watch later on in the month that are family-friendly. But RDCWorld1 has got to be some of the funniest, if not the funniest group on YouTube. You won’t find a more real group of guys who love games and anime wholeheartedly. Their skits include the ever-coveted Anime House, Hood Avatar, Video Game House, and Black Avengers. Literally some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever seen. And again because they’re black and I’m black some of the humor they use gives me a nostalgic vibe. It’s kinda like when you meet someone and they’re from a similar neighborhood and you can reminisce on things you may have done growing up in that kind of neighborhood. They just feel like you’ve known them all your life. They are the type of guys you’d want to watch a season of anime with and then discuss all the details.

CalebCity is one of the most creative people I’ve seen on YouTube. And he has the following at 3.82M to back it up. The level of skill he has for his videos is insane. He literally does entire skits by himself from all kinds of camera angles and perspectives. I don’t know if you guys know how long it takes to edit a video, but I can only imagine how long it takes for him to edit those skits. But his videos are so relatable. He will make a video of those questions or frustrations we have when we’re playing a game or watching anime. One of his recent videos that are a favorite of mine is “Anime characters that turn EVERYTHING into a motivational speech.” We’ve ALL thought about that super dramatic anime character that has to be the motivational speaker. I love the creativity and the way he takes his time for his videos. Don’t think that just because he’s by himself that he doesn’t care about the quality of his videos, but that would just be a lie. Those are the first two creatives that I wanted to spotlight for this Black History Month. Go and see for yourself how talented they are, and then come back so we can all discuss.

I also just want to reiterate that the purpose of Black History Month is not to take away from any other culture or ethnic group. Its purpose is to celebrate Black people, bringing awareness to the many feats that happened in history that were kept from us. A lot of us have been learning more and more about what some would have kept suppressed. Knowing your heritage and where you come from can be taken for granted for some as it is not a complete reality for me and others that are in the African Diaspora. Anyway, I just want to show love to my folks who are moving in the spaces where I aspire to be. Let me know of any Black Creators/voices you want to amplify this February. Let’s keep the conversation going. Till next time, Peace!

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P.S. please go and look at these photographers talent!