Within the 90’s, rising up Black and loving anime? Man, that was a one-way ticket to getting clowned—may as effectively have worn an indication that stated “roast me.”
I keep in mind sneaking episodes of Dragon Ball Z, pretending I used to be “simply flipping channels” when my mother walked by. Heaven forbid anybody at college came upon I knew the distinction between a Kamehameha wave and a Particular Beam Cannon. Being Black and into anime was like admitting you collected stamps or knew all of the phrases to “The Sound of Music.” You stored that sh*t to your self.
However right here’s the wild half that took me method too lengthy to understand: anime was mainly made for us.
Give it some thought. Fantastical worlds the place the underdog turns into legendary? Heroes who unlock unbelievable powers once they’re pushed to their restrict? Characters who refuse to let their circumstances outline their future? That’s not simply anime—that’s Black Woman Magic and Black Boy Pleasure wrapped in Japanese animation. We have been out right here calling ourselves bizarre for connecting with tales that actually mirrored our cultural DNA.
Thank God Mark Phillips and Affiong Harris didn’t get the memo about maintaining quiet.
These two pals from Texas had a easy however revolutionary concept: what if they only celebrated what they appreciated with out apology? Again when YouTube was nonetheless discovering its footing, Phillips and Harris launched RDCWorld1—a channel that might develop into a blueprint for genuine content material creation. The title itself was a declaration: Actual Dreamers Change the World.
Joined by Leland Manigo, Desmond Johnson, Benjamin Skinner, Dylan Patel, and Johnathon Newton, the RDCWorld crew began making movies that felt like hanging along with your boys—breaking down the most recent anime episode, roasting your favourite sport, diving deep into sports activities takes and popular culture moments. No code-switching, no dimming their enthusiasm, simply pure, unfiltered enjoyable.
Their unique dream? Use YouTube as a stepping stone to construct an viewers so they may finally create their very own manga and, at some point, an anime. However one thing larger was brewing.
What began as pals making movies of their spare time exploded into one thing unprecedented. Immediately, RDCWorld boasts almost 7 million subscribers on YouTube and a mixed 10.7 million followers throughout Instagram, Twitter, Fb, Twitch, and TikTok. However right here’s the place the story will get actually good—once they tried to take their success to current anime conventions as visitors, they bought the chilly shoulder. Organizers straight up informed them they wouldn’t “slot in.”
As an alternative of getting bitter, they bought busy. And that’s the place Dream Con was born.
In 2018, RDCWorld launched the primary Dream Con with a easy mission: create the conference they wished existed. Not simply anime. Not simply gaming. Not simply comics. Every little thing. An area the place Black nerds, anime lovers, players, and popular culture lovers might have a good time with out having to decide on a lane or justify their passions.
What they created wasn’t simply an occasion—it was a cultural assertion wrapped in a conference. Dream Con turned proof that once you cease making an attempt to suit into areas that don’t need you and begin constructing your personal, magic occurs.
Since that first Dream Con in 2018, the occasion has grown exponentially. This weekend, hundreds of players, streamers, content material creators, comedian guide and anime followers will flock to Houston’s George R. Brown Conference Middle for Dream Con 2025. The lineup reads like a who’s who of creators who refused to dim their gentle: Megan Thee Stallion, AMP, Berleezy, Caleb Metropolis, EARTHGANG, Aerial_Knight, Afro Senju, and dozens extra expertise who perceive that authenticity beats conformity each time.
Based on the Dream Con web site, their purpose has at all times been to create a extra inclusive house in fandom tradition, spotlighting creators and followers who’ve been neglected by conventional conventions. As RDCWorld places it: “This conference can be for everybody whether or not you’re black, white, brown, purple, or inexperienced like Piccolo.”
What hits me most about RDCWorld’s journey is the way it mirrors so a lot of our tales. We’ve all been there—loving one thing so deeply however feeling like we needed to disguise it as a result of it didn’t match different folks’s expectations of who we must be. Whether or not it’s anime, gaming, or every other ardour that makes us gentle up, society has this twisted method of creating us really feel ashamed for our pleasure.
However watching RDCWorld remodel from a bunch of pals making YouTube movies to creators of a motion that brings collectively hundreds? That’s the type of friendship targets that really matter. They didn’t simply discover their tribe—they constructed a complete metropolis for everybody who ever felt just like the odd one out.
Each good hero wants an origin story, and RDCWorld’s is superbly easy: pals who refused to let different folks’s opinions kill their pleasure. They created one thing larger than themselves as a result of they understood that illustration isn’t nearly seeing your self in media—it’s about creating areas the place you could be your self, interval.
Their unique purpose of making manga and anime stays the identical, however Dream Con has develop into one thing equally highly effective—proof that once you embrace your genuine self and discover your folks, you don’t simply change your world. You alter the world.
Generally probably the most revolutionary factor you are able to do is simply be your self—loudly, proudly, and with out apology.
*Dream Con 2025 takes place Could Thirty first-June 1st on the George R. Brown Conference Middle in Houston, TX.*