ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests the urgency of thinking more deeply about the negotiation that all readers, viewers, and listeners perform within a largely segregated media landscape—especially fans of color who are struggling with issues of inclusion and representation within popular media. It focuses on the ways fans of color use various forms of racebending to advocate for alternative representations at a time when America is once again working through conflicts concerning racial and ethnic diversity. Given the particular circumstances, fandom is always already political for fans of color, even as many white fans steadfastly defend fandom as a play space, free from politics. Working through their existing networks and in partnership with more traditional advocacy groups, these fan activists educated the public about Hollywood's "white-casting" practices. When Alanna Bennett refers to "racebending," people deploy a different definition—illustrating her piece with examples of fan art explicitly depicting a black or mixed-race Hermione.
