Some heroes walk quietly into a hospital room wearing a cape, a mask, or a carefully crafted suit of armor—and in that moment, the world changes for someone who desperately needs hope. For a child battling illness…For a fan meeting their hero for the first time…For a crowd gathered at a convention celebrating the stories they love… Cosplayers bring imagination to life. There’s something magical about seeing a superhero step off the pages of a comic book and into the real w

Spaces where imagination is celebrated. Spaces where creativity flourishes. Spaces where people who might feel “different” in everyday life suddenly realize they are surrounded by thousands of people just like them. Comic conventions—better known as comic cons—are one of those spaces. And on this Friday the 13th, it feels especially fitting to talk about the favor of safe spaces for creativity, fandom, and joy.

This 12th day of Black History Month, I’m shining the spotlight on What’s Happening!! and What’s Happening Now!! — two series that did something absolutely radical: They let Black people be funny, awkward, ambitious, stubborn, tender, and regular… on national television. No constant trauma soundtrack. No “very special episode” energy every week. No forced message wrapped in shame. Just life. And when Black folks are allowed to be fully human on screen, that is history too.

On this fifth day of Black History Month, there’s no more fitting subject than A Different World — a series that did far more than spin off from another hit sitcom. It shifted conversations in Black households. It reframed what “college” looked like on TV. It normalized Black intellect, Black community, Black debate, Black love, Black discipline, and Black joy — all inside the same half-hour.