Issue 35

the Week of March 28, 2016
Rainbow fractals from light shining on a broken reflective surface .

In this issue, we highlight Black culture and the lives of memes, and look at biometric surveillance in the world of video games. We get advice on getting sponsorship to fund diversity initiatives, and talk to the maker of a new game centering queer and trans people of color. Plus: free labor and conference speaking, and the racism in sci-fi and fantasy fandom. Photo CC-BY Sarah Klockars Clauser, cropped.

Actor John Boyega as Finn in The Force Awakens, sitting at the weapons station of a spacecraft.

Black In The Imaginationscape

Why is it so difficult for some readers and filmgoers to imagine that space, the dystopian or utopian future, or dragon/elf inhabited lands... might have Black people in them?

Artistic shot of a video game controller.

Why It Matters That Steph Curry’s On-Court Awesome Is Missing in NBA 2K16

In a social environment where the movement of black people is produced through constant surveillance, Curry’s inability to be accurately transformed into a digital version is a powerful critique.

Two women from the #WOCinTech photoshoot standing in front of a whiteboard, arms crossed and smiling at the camera.

How We Got Sponsorship for #WOCinTech Photo Shoots

How to find sponsorship and bring your vision to life!

Beautiful street art portrait of Nina Simone, eyes upward and lips parted, on a large wall.

The Blackness of Meme Movement

Not only can the origins of many memes be found in Black creators or online Black communities (Black Twitter, Black Tumblr, Black nerd culture at large), memes appear to model the circulatory movement of Black vernacular itself.

This issue is made possible in part by some of our generous readers: Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré, Jeremy Abbott, Tom Sulston, Kristian Glass, Ted Mielczarek and Line Break. To become a sponsor, email modelviewculture -at- gmail.