{"id":428777,"date":"2026-10-15T19:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/428777\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T19:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:00:13","slug":"black-in-jax-anime-makes-history-at-wasabicon-celebrating-representation-and-community-free-press-of-jacksonville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/428777\/","title":{"rendered":"Black in Jax Anime Makes History at WasabiCon, Celebrating Representation and Community \u2013 Free Press of Jacksonville"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBlack in Jax Anime members<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Black in Jax Anime members<\/p>\n

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Black in Jax Anime made history at WasabiCon Jacksonville, becoming the first Black community group to host events at the popular convention, which attracted more than 10,500 attendees.<\/p>\n

Founded by Larry \u201cLarry\u201d Lewis and supported by community leader Laia Castlez, the organization presented four events in one day, including WasabiCon\u2019s first panel dedicated to the experiences of Black anime fans.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The milestone marked a significant step toward greater representation and inclusion in a fandom that continues to grow in popularity among Black audiences.<\/p>\n

The festivities began with \u201cAnime Hot Takes,\u201d a spirited discussion hosted by Amy\u2019s Son and featuring panelists Trippy, Son Dae Dae and Jil \u201cRoza\u201d Harris, the group\u2019s lead moderator. The session sparked lively exchanges between panelists and audience members, drawing such a large crowd that convention staff assisted with crowd control.<\/p>\n

An afternoon \u201cMy Hero Academia\u201d cosplay meetup, hosted by Jaime Hansell and Breonnie \u201cOnnie\u201d King, brought together fans dressed as characters from the popular anime series. Members of Black in Jax Anime showcased elaborate costumes throughout the day, including Nikkita Campbell, Harris, Jordan Mack, Cleopatra Zurie, Marcus Holsey and Toccara Burgess.<\/p>\n

Campbell, who portrayed the character Mirko, described the experience as a dream come true.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis team protects and elevates our community,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so honored to be part of that mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

The day\u2019s signature event, \u201cBlack & Nerdy: Being Black in the Anime Community,\u201d drew a packed audience for a discussion about representation, cosplay and the importance of creating welcoming spaces for Black fans.<\/p>\n

Moderated by King, the panel featured Lewis, Castlez, Jasmine La\u2019Fleur and Hansell, who shared personal experiences and answered audience questions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>La\u2019Fleur, a Jacksonville Public Library representative, also is co-founder of Black Fae Day, an annual celebration of Black representation in fantasy held on the second Saturday in May.<\/p>\n

The discussion concluded with \u201cPut Me On,\u201d a segment highlighting Black content creators and encouraging attendees to support their work.<\/p>\n

The evening wrapped up with a Cosplay Talent Show on the convention\u2019s main stage, hosted by Kvng Sean and King. Performances included a dance routine by group members Son Dae Dae and Holsey. A performer identified as Freddie won the audience-selected Golden Goat Trophy for his vocal performance.<\/p>\n

For Lewis, the group\u2019s success represented more than a milestone at a convention. It reflected the growth of a community he created after moving to Jacksonville and searching for others who shared his enthusiasm for anime.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I moved to Jacksonville, I didn\u2019t know anybody, so I started a group to find people who loved anime like I did,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cIt started with about ten of us. Seeing so many people come out to our events at WasabiCon showed me how much this community needed a space to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis credited the group\u2019s volunteers, organizers and WasabiCon representative Gayle \u201cSydney\u201d Taylor for helping make the event possible.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Taylor praised the organization for its contribution to the convention.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack in Jax Anime was an incredible addition to WasabiCon this year,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cTheir passion for bringing people together and creating fun, welcoming experiences really showed throughout the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

For longtime convention attendees, the event offered a fresh perspective on the importance of inclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been going to WasabiCon since they were at the Renaissance hotel,\u201d Harris said. \u201cOut of every year I\u2019ve attended, this year tops everything and more!\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond WasabiCon, Black in Jax Anime organizes meetups, watch parties, cosplay activities and discussion panels throughout Jacksonville. The group also produces the BIJ Podcast and is developing its nonprofit initiative, the Black in Jax Foundation, to expand community and youth engagement.<\/p>\n

With plans to return for WasabiCon 2027, Lewis said the organization is only beginning to build its presence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just getting started,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit blackinjaxanime.com or follow @blackinjaxanime on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Black in Jax Anime members Black in Jax Anime members JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Black in Jax Anime made…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428778,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-428777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}