HBCU Con made its first in-person debut at Bowie State University in Maryland on April 29 - May 1, 2022. Last year, HBCU Con was completely virtual; however, they didn’t get rid of the virtual aspect. HBCU Con live streamed the entire event and hosted virtual panels. Urban Anime Lounge held a virtual panel with three co-founders and other team members.
Our virtual panel, “Let’s Argue: Your Faves are Basura!” challenged the perspectives of anime fans and debated over why your favorite shows are basura aka trash. This hilarious panel was not to convince old fans or newbies to not watch these popular series (we actually recommend that you watch them). Instead, the team gets down to the nitty gritty and exposed some of the flaws with mainstream anime while making you laugh.
You can watch the full panel on our youtube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more content or join our patreon!
]]>This year, our patrons received custom tumblers, caramel bourbon popcorn, stickers, and a physical holiday card. Check out the gifts here.
We’re truly grateful all year around for the support. We wish you all a safe, blessed and fun filled holiday season!
We would love for you to join our many communities:
]]>We want to take a moment to give a special shout out to each and every one of you in this community - from the dedicated Patrons to the active members, lurkers and our followers! Y’all help make Urban Anime Lounge what it is, and we are so grateful for that. 🙏🏽
We're also very excited to reveal our new mascots! Here's the new and improved Urban Anime Lounge mascots and faces of the brand!
The trio are now available on merch in commemoration of the Urban Anime Lounge, 5th Anniversary! Check out the store!
]]>We also ended spooky season with a Halloween contest and a chance to win a $100 Urban Anime Lounge gift card.
Check out the winners and other participants on our Instagram!
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In case you’vemissed it, DreamCon, one of the largest Black ran anime and gaming conventions in the US, was held July 23-24, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. Not only was Urban Anime Lounge a major sponsor for this live and virtual event, we also held a panel featuring five of our co-founders and a super lit afterparty.
Our virtual panel, "Are You A Causal?", delved into the dynamics of the ever present discussion on the difference between a casual enthusiast and an elitist stan within the anime community.
This fiery, and often times funny, debate resulted in some clear definitions for the terms “filthy casual” and “anime elitist,” the simultaneous praise and slander of fan favorite shows (sorry, Naruto fans), and offered ways on how to level up your anime watching game. You can catch a viewing of the full panel on our patreon.
]]>Open to all genders, participants are required to submit a recent selfie wearing autumn colors, clothes, or make up. Participants are open to making their entries as elaborate or laid back as they wish. Upon the close of the contest, two winners are selected by the co-founders and awarded an assortment of autumn themed goodies.
For the past three years we've kicked autumn off with a glamorous bang, and 2021 is no different! To check out this season's looks, view past entries and winners - be sure to check out the #FallIntoItChallege and #UALSlay hashtags in our Facebook group.
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Blerdcon is an annual event that highlights and celebrates Blerd culture! Blerdcon takes place Friday, July 16-Sunday, July 18th at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, in Arlington, VA.
To register, click here for entries and rules! Blerdcon is accepting both online & in-person entries.
Have fun, and we can't wait to see y'all's cosplays!!!
]]>Check out Urban Anime Lounge's Facebook live panel for HBCU Con on Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 7:00 pm EST.
"How To Not Get Dragged in Your Local Blerd Group" is a panel on how to navigate online blerd spaces while touching on cancel culture and also social norms/cues. RSVP here for free event!
HBCU Con offers a distinct community, bridging the gap between HBCUs and Black geeks-at-large, to embody the #BlackGeekHomecoming experience.
Check out the full schedule for more dope Blerd panels & events happening all week! Also, don't forget to register for HBCU Con 2021 to get your free ticket(s).
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Deadline: We would like to have donations collected by Sunday, June 14th.
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Urban Anime Lounge at Quirkcon Pop-Up
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The Quirktastic Quirkcon Pop-Up at SXSW was a fantastic summit of POC creatives. I was there as a vendor and representative of Urban Anime Lounge with one of our very own members, Martez Cornett. I have to say it was a lot of fun!
The venue was wonderfully rustic and served to be an accentuating aesthetic. There was no way to feel like a stranger there as you were always near somebody who was either where you wanted to be, at your level, or just starting out. The music was dope. The vibe was dope. The crowd was dope. The air buzzed with conversation and mixes of music from Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther Album.
Representatives were accessible, friendly, and fun! I spent a lot of time with Adorned by Chi's Jaye Aye, joked around with Zensofly, talked it up with MomoPixel, and danced with Kieraplease. Bree--head of Quirktastic--was absolutely helpful with setting up and getting folks talking. Her panels were full of wonderful information. Everyone's testimonies touched on the very things that creatives of color tend to see as walls to overcome.
Bryanda Law,
10/10 would vibe again!
Be sure to keep up with Quirkcon's upcoming events here.