Who knew? The Very Black History Of Punk Music

[Kind of Blue]

"Stories about punk music tend to picture thin-framed white guys and girls with shaved heads, part of an angry, energetic scene born out of the working class angst of young white England in the 1970s. But the actual history of punk – as a type of music and movement – is more complicated than that.

Black punks have been an integral and pioneering part of punk history – and they're keeping the movement alive and growing today. Host Sana Saeed explores that history and talks to proto-punk band Death, musician and journalist Greg Tate, the band The 1865 and festival organizer Shawna Shawnté."

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Learn more here:
New York Times. “This Band Was Punk Before Punk Was Punk. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/arts/music/15rubi.html

Vice. “The Bands Taking British Punk Back to Its Multicultural Roots.” https://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/article/padjev/decolonise-fest-uk-punk-nekra-sacred-paws-fight-rosa
GQ. “Nazi Punks F**k Off: How Black Flag, Bad Brains and More Took Back Their Scene from White Supremacists.” https://www.gq.com/story/punks-and-nazis-oral-history
Relevant links:
A Band Called Death: https://drafthousefilms.com/collections/a-band-called-death
The Universe Is Lit: http://www.theuniverseislit.com
Bay Area Girls Rock Camp: https://www.bayareagirlsrockcamp.org/
The 1865: https://www.instagram.com/the1865band/

[Kind of Blue]

1. Death trailer and Afropunk Documentary

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AFROPUNK - "The Rock and Roll Nigger Experience" was the original title for the movie before it was changed to what we know as today: AFROPUNK - The Documentary, a 66 minute documentary explores race identify within the punk scene. More than your everyday "Behind the Music" or typical "Black History month "documentary this film tackles hard questions, covering issues such as exile, loneliness, interracial dating and black power. We follow the lives of four people who have dedicated themselves to the punk rock lifestyles. They find themselves in conflicting situations, living the dual life of a person of color in a mostly white community.

For more news on AFROPUNK go to:
Visit our website: https://www.afropunk.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/afropunk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/afropunk

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[rogue emissary]

2. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As a ride or die Living Colour fan the music group. I knew about Bad Brains and enjoyed fishbone since I was a teenager. I've got to check out your links and really interested in the group 1865.

[Kind of Blue]

3. You are so welcome, rogue emissary!

This was like an answer that I was waiting for because though I had several black classmates who were punk, I didn't understand punk at all and wrongly thought that it was white people's music. Almost like a don't ask don't tell thing for which I'm sorry now for not even trying. I'm more like them than I ever thought.

I worked on the transcripts/captioning for a documentary about the punk scene in the San Pedro, California area back in the '80s. The awesomeness of Bad Brains was mentioned or discussed throughout but not one of the band members of the past ever mentioned that Bad Brains is a black group. It will be interesting to see the movie when it comes out this year.

Anyhoo, I saw a young Honeychild of the 1865 in the Afropunk documentary of 2003. And it's so cool to know the history and that eventually young black punks created this international festival celebrating themselves. I love it!