Two things happened this weekend that made me pause and reevaluate my life. These two were finding out whom the new Doctor Who companion was going to be, and second,  watching Beyoncé’s newest album, Lemonade, not once not twice but three times and then proceeded to listen to the album all Sunday and then while at the gym Monday morning.

This quick post that I am writing while I am supposed to be finishing a collections management policy is not about Lemonade although references to that will be mentioned.   This  post is in part about my elation at the announcement of the new Doctor Who companion and  then my frustration at the people (you know who you are) who don’t want to let #BlackGirlMagic be and let women of color have anything nice and shiny before they try and tear it down.

Saturday, the public who had been waiting and contemplating and placing bets was finally given its Christmas in springtime when it was announced that Pearl Mackie would play the character of Bill in the upcoming 2017 Doctor Who season. Mackie, a graduate of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2010, has played Anne-Marie Frasier in Doctors in 2014 and is currently performing in the National Theatre’s West End production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

I will unapologetically admit that I was crossing my fingers and praying to the last star on the right while watching the skies for that little blue box that they would have a companion of color.

So let’s pause and break for me to explain what I mean by a person of color. That means any person with a hint of melanin. So before anyone starts going in on how Black people only push for Black actors stop. Black geeks are happy with any good character of color. That is because as a whole we normally go hard for most groups because we know what it is like to feel marginalized.  Nevertheless, do I get a bit happier when I see my specific skin tone represented on a popular program? Hell yes.

Seriously, if I had it my way the new companion would be a short, plump brown-skinned grumpy intellectual woman who wears glasses and has a love-hate respect relationship with cats.  Then the new companion would be me, and I cannot get everything that I want.  If I did, Idris Elba would be in my kitchen making me Nutella pancakes and mimosas right now.

But I digress! I was, in fact, praying for a woman of color because it was time. As much as I go hard for Dr. Martha Jones, I mean she walked the whole world and carried out the heroes’ journey and did not get credit just like Dona. (Side note though the women in this show are often shortchanged. That is a story for another post.)

As much as I am here for Martha and as much as others don’t like her it was not until the announcement of the new companion and the backlash from white bloggers in their feelings about being told not to write about Lemonade  that I understood that people, particularly people without melanin, can and never will understand the particular experience, expectations, joys, and pains of melanin people. And sometimes these people without melanin get so in their feelings that they start saying mean things, they revert to the language skills of a three-year-old and cry foul. They also do what petty children do which is try to spoil your fun because they are excluded from the joy.

At first, I was angry then I began to understand that these people were angry because they could not get in on the joy. Then I thought damn they can’t let us have nothing.  Look the thing is, as a geek girl of color there are certain feelings, experiences, wishes, hopes and dreams that others will not be able to relate to. So yes, the collective Black geek and geeks of color world gave a gasp a hell yeah and a rousing standing ovation when the new companion was announced. We don’t get a lot of representation in this genre, and when we do we are shortchanged, characters killed off, regulated as sidekicks, or just there for scenery.

Now some will say wouldn’t you rather find the right character rather than set out to find a character of color who may not fit the role?  To that, I say yes. But what you fail to realize is that we know that when casting directors go out they set out find the typical Hollywood  prototype which my dear friends is white. I mean they used Scotish,  Danish, and Australian guys to play Gods in Egypt Pharaoh and Moses.

The one Black guy is not a god by the way.

Now the writing for the last few seasons of Doctor Who has been hit or miss.  What nerds of color want is a person of color on a popular show with a great storyline. We want growth and diversity. We have seen it done on The Walking Dead, the Blade Trilogy and now Star Wars so we know it can happen, and we want more.

Michonne (Danai Gurira) – The Walking Dead – Season 4 _ Gallery – Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

I am hoping that the new 2017 season is great and am happy to see more diversity on this popular show and given the demographic makeup of Great Britain, it’s about damn time. Anyway, I ask that you let us have this moment of glory. Let us nerds of color enjoy this moment in the spotlight before you go trying to knock over our lemonade stands and spit in the merchandise.

Let us discuss what this means to us without making it about you, without making it about the writing, without spoiling it because it’s a conversation that a nonperson of color will never fully understand. And believe me, you may walk away with your feelings hurt. If you think I am bluffing read the many think pieces and articles about why white people should not write about Lemonade go ahead, I will wait while I prepare some refreshments.

The thing is when it comes to representation in Sci-Fi fantasy and the geek world in general people of color have been handed lemons and when we finally get some filtered water and sugar to go with it don’t come hating on how much we express our enjoyment of it and revel in the community of lemonade drinkers. And to that, I will add (add vodka to mine because I like my lemonade strong.)