The Obsidian Archives include blog posts, critical essays, and fan fiction written by BGC members, contributors, and community. Take a trip through time and peruse through the blog, Critical Companion series, and Hogwarts BSU project for inspiration, nuanced critiques, and wonderful stories written in the Wizarding World!

Featured Creators

Meet Black women who are creating space and art, learn about their process, and why they believe it is important for Black people to be creators. We feature a new Creator at the beginning of each month.

Moon Ferguson

Black Girls Create

Meet filmmaker and creator of the Juju web series, Moon Ferguson.

Sketch Smith

Black Girls Create

Meet artist Sketch Smith.

Taylor Darks

Black Girls Create

Meet author T.B. Darks.

Nicole Hill

Black Girls Create

Meet writer Nicole Hill.

Michelle Cadore

Black Girls Create

Meet Michelle, business owner and founder of YES I AM, Inc.

Regine Sawyer

Black Girls Create

Meet the owner of Lockett Down Productions and founder of Women in Comics Collective, Regine Sawyer.

Delia Gallegos

Black Girls Create

Meet writer and new BGC Creative Coordinator, Delia Gallegos.

Ajuan Mance

Black Girls Create

Meet professor, artist, and writer Ajuan Mance.

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Author Spotlight

We Black & Nerds

Our blog was a space that worked to be representative of our realities and experiences as a way to counter the ones largely depicted in the mainstream. The blog hosted a variety of commentary on popular culture including book reviews, television and film recaps, personal essays, and our contributor-led series The Critical Companion, a bi-monthly themed project that delved into different aspects of critical fandom.

The Critical Companion

My Granny and Her Love of Comics

Bilal Shelby

Bilal writes about their grandmother, who shared her love of comics and knowledge.

Beyond the Kokiri Forest: A Father and Daughter’s Zelda Adventure

Delia

Delia talks about her father and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the origins of her nerdiness.

Shade to the Supernatural Nerdom: My Mom’s Disgust For My Love of the Supernatural

Afiya Augustine

Growing up, Afiya loved all things supernatural, but she was often met with pushback…

The Struggle of Being an Ethiopian Preacher’s Kid

Mahlet Sebhat

Being the oldest daughter of an Ethiopian preacher isn’t easy when you become a fan of comic books and fantasy. Mahlet shares her story.

Magic or No, All Schools Have Limited Range

Porshèa Patterson-Hurst

Patriarchal systems in magical schools (and in the real world) tend to cause problems. Porshèa explores the way these systems manifest in different fictional schools and discusses what should be done to change it.

The Importance of Magical Mental Health Education in Harry Potter

Chyna Parker

There are inevitable risks to living in a magical school, but does Hogwarts truly have the tools to physically and mentally support its students?

Doctor Who’s Narratives on Race Have Improved — But Have a Long Way to Go

Delia

Doctor Who has increased both its racial representation and conversations on racism in recent years, but the show still has a lot of work to do when addressing in-universe racism.

How ’12 Monkeys’ Changed How Time Travel Should Be Viewed

Danyi

There are lots of shows about time travel, but read how 12 Monkeys changed the game.

Finding Inclusion in the Digital Age

Kira Sparkles

What do you do when you’re a biracial Black girl living in the land of camo and conservatism in the 90s? You turn to the internet. Read Kira’s story of finding community in Sailor Moon RPG chat rooms.

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Hogwarts BSU

Hogwarts BSU was a fan fiction project that asked Black Potterheads to imagine what it would be like to be Black in the Wizarding World. Read stories of Black students at Hogwarts, Black businesses in the Potterverse, and Black Wizard History, and feel free to add your own stories to Archive of Our Own using the tag Hogwarts BSU!