✨ For the Black Anime Community: A Love Letter, A Warning, and A Call to Rise ✨
Written by Sterling Jr.
Celebrating Black history, anime culture, and the right to exist boldly.
When Joy Is Policed: Honoring Ashley, Protecting Our Community, and Reclaiming Our Space
The Black anime community is grieving.
We are grieving the loss of Ashley Gail Paxton, known affectionately as @squidkid1111, a vibrant cosplayer whose light was dimmed by unchecked bullying and racist attacks.
Ashley should still be here.
Ashley deserved to still be here.
And her passing forces us to confront a painful truth:
Being Black in anime culture often means fighting battles no fan should ever have to fight.
The Harassment We Don’t Talk About Enough
For many Black fans, anime is a home—a place where imagination blooms, where characters teach us courage, friendship, resilience, and hope.
But when we express that love outwardly, especially through cosplay, we are met with:
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Racist comments
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Gatekeeping
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Trolls
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“Accuracy police” who only show up when we cosplay
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A double standard that’s as blatant as it is exhausting
One of the most painful truths is this:
Black fans are attacked for cosplaying characters who aren’t Black—
while non-Black fans cosplay Black characters with zero harassment, zero backlash, zero debate.
(As long as nobody darkens their skin, we’re good. Respect and common sense go a long way.)
But let a Black fan put on a wig, a cloak, or an iconic outfit and suddenly there’s outrage.
Suddenly “accuracy” matters.
Suddenly “the character isn’t Black” is grounds for harassment.
Yet white fans cosplay Japanese characters every day.
And strangely… they remain unbothered.
This isn’t about accuracy.
It’s about people policing Black joy.
When Our Own Community Gets Quiet
And what makes it harder?
It’s not always just “outsiders.”
Even within the Black anime community, some “blerds” have allowed toxicity to take root:
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Some stay silent because they’re tired.
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Some avoid calling out racism because they want to survive the day.
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Some join in the mockery, thinking it makes them safer.
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Some simply pretend it isn’t happening.
And silence—
even when gentle, even when weary—
creates a culture where harm is allowed to repeat itself.
But that silence has a cost.
Ashley paid that cost.
And our community cannot afford another loss.
Cosplay Belongs to Us Too
Let’s be clear:
Cosplay is for EVERYONE.
Black creativity is limitless.
Black imagination is powerful.
Black love for anime is valid, real, and deeply rooted.
We don’t need permission.
We don’t need approval.
We don’t need to justify why we relate to a character, admire them, or want to embody them.
Black kids grew up loving:
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Naruto
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Sailor Moon
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Dragon Ball
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One Piece
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Bleach
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Yu Yu Hakusho
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Pokémon
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Inuyasha
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Fullmetal Alchemist
We can express that love however we choose.
Cosplay is not ownership.
It is artistry.
It is tribute.
It is joy.
And Black joy matters.
We Don’t Have Many Characters—But We Have Many Dreams
Anime hasn’t always given us the representation we deserve.
Black and brown characters are still rare.
When they exist, they’re often side characters, jokes, stereotypes, or afterthoughts.
So when we look to cosplay, most options aren’t Black.
And that should NEVER be a reason to shame us.
It should be a reason to uplift us.
It should be a reason to create more space, not less.
This Isn’t a Time to Fight Each Other—It’s a Time to Unite
The Black anime community is powerful.
We’re talented, expressive, artistic, and innovative.
But to protect that beauty—
we must stand together.
We must:
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Hold racists accountable.
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Support Black cosplayers loudly and publicly.
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Refuse to let trolls define our spaces.
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Call out harmful behavior—even from other Black fans.
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Build safe spaces and protect them fiercely.
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Stop waiting to be included and instead create our own platforms.
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Show up for each other, online and offline.
These fandoms should be places of joy, not anxiety.
These communities should feel like home, not another battlefield.
We already fight enough outside these spaces—we should not have to fight inside them too.
For Ashley, and for Every Black Fan Who Ever Felt Pushed Out
Ashley’s story will not be in vain.
Her life matters.
Her joy matters.
Her love for the culture matters.
We honor her by fighting for a community where no one else feels isolated, targeted, or unsafe for loving anime as deeply as she did.
We honor her by saying:
We are here.
We belong.
And we’re not going anywhere.
Black Cards of History LLC Stands with You
As a brand dedicated to celebrating Black history, culture, anime, and storytelling—we want to be part of the solution.
We believe:
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In representation.
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In safe spaces.
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In Black creativity.
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In Black fandom.
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In Black joy.
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In holding our community accountable—lovingly but boldly.
To every Black cosplayer, manga reader, anime lover, gamer, and blerd:
You are seen.
You are valued.
You are loved.
And you deserve to exist in every fandom without fear.
For Ashley.... SquidKid1111.
For all of us.
For the future generation of Black anime fans who deserve better than what we endured.
Let’s build the community she deserved.
Let’s protect each other.
Let’s rise together.
🖤✨
– Black Cards of History LLC