STEM education, science fiction collide at special convention coming to Philly

A sci-fi convention with a special emphasis on people of color gets ready to come to Philadelphia.
Photo credit Justin Udo/KYW Newsradio
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A sci-fi convention with a special emphasis on people of color gets ready to come to Philadelphia.

Science fiction movies, comics and shows seem to be more popular than ever, but how people take them in can greatly vary from culture to culture, which is what led Maurice Waters to develop the Black Sci-Fi Convention.

"People look at a TV show like the "Big Bang Theory" and say that is a comic book while we don't define ourselves in that manner. However, we are still watching "Star Trek" and "Spider-Man" and "Superman," and consuming "Black Panther" and all those other things," Waters said. 

It was recently announced the convention would make its Philadelphia debut next summer.

Waters says the event is to use sci-fi to get people interested in STEM education. 

"For example, if you are a writer or you are just interested in black holes, we'll have somebody there that you can talk with in a group and ask any questions that you want about that," he explained. 

"There will also be comic book workshops, for adults and children, how to develop super heroes, how to draw them and also opportunities for people who are looking to be published, to get advice and feedback on their work," he added.

The theme of the convention is black women in science fiction.

"The reason why we focused on that is because black women, historically - and women, period - have been marginalized in a lot of industries and in this science fiction fantasy area," he said. 

Astronaut Mae Jamison and writer Octavia Butler are some of the women they'll highlight.

"We want to take a minute to really recognize and salute those women, real life and the make-believe world.

Waters adds the event is open to people of all ethnicities.