#28DaysOfBlackCosplay celebrates black cosplayers throughout February

Finding photos of black cosplayers isn't as easy as it should be. There are plenty out there, but that reality isn't always reflected in the photos we see from popular conventions. Just while looking through cosplay photos for this piece, the very reason for the #28DaysOfBlackCosplay hashtag became obvious. The creator of the hashtag, Chaka Cumberbatch-Tinsley, told Essence that is the whole point of the campaign.

“Visibility, representation and celebration have always been the core tenets of 28 Days of Black Cosplay,” said Cumberbatch-Tinsley.

Now in its fifth year, the hashtag has taken on a life of its own. A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay even tweeted in support.

It's only the beginning of the month, but on Twitter, the hashtag has already been flooded with posts. Here are a few of our favorites so far.

In addition to February's #28DaysOfBlackCosplay campaign, throughout the year black cosplayers use Belema Boyle's #BlackCosplayerHere to increase visibility as well. "Black cosplayers continue to exist outside of #28daysofblackcosplay and I'd love if the representation in the community reflected that," said Boyle in her pinned tweet.

Thanks to campaigns like #28DaysOfBlackCosplay, and #BlackCosplayerHere, there is no excuse for anyone to not have a diverse representation of cosplayers in their post-convention photo albums. These cosplayers are out there and doing amazing work. It's way past time to celebrate the diversity within the cosplay community.

Throughout the month, we'll be participating in #28DaysOfBlackCosplay on the SYFY FANGRRLS Twitter and Instagram, so make sure to follow along in addition to following the hashtag.