Today we’d like to introduce you to Chauna Lawson.
Hi Chauna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The HBCU Convention was created to celebrate and bridge-the-gap between historically Black institutions and the Black nerd community. As a nerd and HBCU grad, I saw a great need to create a more explicit, deeper, and intentional connection between the HBCU community and industries such as the arts, gaming, tech, and more.
Our events are typically family oriented and open to all ages. It was important to create a space for us to build and have more candid, adult conversations around activities that have been systemically stigmatized in the Black community. This event is designed to be as lively and boisterous as it is intimate and relaxed. We strive to create spaces for folks like us to be themselves.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not been plowed easily. Running events is very expensive and requires significant effort and investment before you can make a return and become more sustainable. Being a Black woman in a male-dominated industry has also proven to have its own set of challenges. I have had countless men make unwanted advances at me when it was very clear that I did not have ulterior motives in my agenda.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The HBCU Convention was created to celebrate and bridge-the-gap between historically Black institutions and the Black nerd community. Our events are typically family oriented and open to all ages. It was important to create a space for us to build and have more candid, adult conversations around activities that have been systemically stigmatized in the Black community. This event is designed to be as lively and boisterous as it is intimate and relaxed. We strive to create spaces for folks like us to be themselves.
Black consumers account for a substantial part of the market, and many of us are HBCU affiliated. When I was in college, we nerd would always find each other and find ways to be in community. Today, students are forming actual clubs specifically for anime, gaming, and the like. It’s indicative of a deepening connection between two communities that have a lot more in common than people think.
The totality of this experience really makes it what it is. The food is delicious, the panel discussions are thoughtful and exciting, and the pop-up arcade is always a hit. Folks also enjoy the indoor-outdoor experience, backyard barbeque and house party vibes. This year, we have the honor of Director Ryan Watson joining us to show exclusive clips from his upcoming film Paper Made. A story about a Black martial-arts fraternity set on an imaginary HBCU campus. The film features icons such as Walter E. Jones, Michael Jai White, and Taimak Guarriello.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck has been the defining line overlooked brilliance and overhyped mediocrity. We have been very fortunate to persevere, and the good luck tends to far outweigh the bad!
Pricing:
- Advance Tickets $75
- Use Discount Code HBCUCon ($10 Off)
- Advance Ticket Sales End May 31 at 11 PM
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hbcucon.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hbcucon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HBCUCon
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/81570260/admin/dashboard/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC34R70Il_2aPoZFF_yRqgkg/featured
