Not everything about Facebook is bad. In 2015, Jay-Ann Lopez, a Nintendo aficionado, took to Mark Zuckerberg’s website to launch a group called Black Girl Gamers. Its mission was simple: provide a safe space for all the Black women players fed up with online sexism and racism. Seven years on, Black Girl Gamers is a thriving community-powered business that champions diversity, inclusion and equity in the industry via events, consulting, talent brokering, content and mentorship programmes as well as discussing everything from wellness and politics to the latest Xbox release. So much so, Lopez’s company even appeared on a billboard in Times Square last year.
On a practical level, Black Girl Gamers works with brands to provide equity support for Black women within the industry, while Lopez also co-founded Curlture, a platform dedicated to Black identity and beauty. If you’re looking for regular gaming content, you can find Black Girl Gamers on Twitch and Facebook Gaming – running several scheduled, moderated events, all battling the false stereotype that every gamer is white and male. Crucially, while the group will remain an exclusive safe space for Black Women: you don’t have to fit the title’s adjectives to join in with the fun via their streams, events and content, you just have to respect the game – and the Black women who play it.
Text Nick Chen
