I write this from a place of Black Love and Black Celebration! As Black People, we have nothing to prove, and it’s our time to celebrate and liberate. Growing up in the SoCal 80s Hardcore Punk scenes, I was told by my Mom, Dad, Brothers, Cousins, and Teachers that this scene was for white kids only! In my mind, I knew that they were wrong, because from the very first punk show I went to at age 13, I felt at home. Black kids were there, and we made our presence known.
During the 80s, my mom made me attend a Pan-Africanist school in Los Angeles called W.E.B. Dubois Academic Institute. I had to catch the bus for two hours each way to get there and back. While I was reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe or Stolen Legacy by George James, I was doodling Venom’s logo in my notebook. As I look back on my life, I’m really thankful to my mom for sending me to this school because it gave me a great foundation and balance in who I was. During the week, I was a uniform-wearing young Black scholar, and on the weekend, I was a young Black punk, running wild in the streets, going to see Suicidal Tendencies perform and blasting the BAD BRAINS on repeat as I walked down Crenshaw on my way to school!
The Black Punk experience during the 80s was bigger than just one band, and today I want to celebrate both the visible and less visible punks that had a major impact on our culture. I want to shine the light on on Carol from DMR, an East Bay Punk gang that not only promoted some of the sickest shows in the Bay Area, but also protected the woman of our scene.
Some of the most important Black punks to me weren’t in bands — I’m talking about my Suicidal Boy homies Carter George, Marcus, Anthony, plus many more. When I think about someone like John Macias of CIRCLE ONE, he represented way more than being the lead vocalist of a killer Hardcore band. I give him so much respect for promoting the all day PUNX fest at the T- Bird Roller Rink with over 50 bands, featuring all of the sick bands of 80’s like S.T., Channel 3, Social Distortion, T.S.O.L., Ill Repute, America’s Hardcore and so many more!
Black Punks were so much more than just recording artists — we were the fanzine creators, promoters, bouncers, and just fans of the culture! This feature is all about celebrating Black Punks from the 80s who laid down a foundation of resistance for the future generations of Black punks that came after them.
YDI’s Vocalist Neil “Jackal” Perry & Drummer Howard Twigs
Photo credit: @jimsaah
CIRCLE ONE’s Singer, John Macias
VOID’s Guitarist, Jon “Bubba” Dupree
WHIPPING BOY’s Singer, Eugene Robinson
DK’s Drummer, D. H. Peligro
JFA’s Bassist, Michael Cornelius
BEEFEATER’s Guitarist, Fred “Freak” Smith
SCREAM’s Bassist, Skeeter Thompson
DAG NASTY’s Vocalist, Shawn Brown
Suicidal Tendencies’ Guitarist, Rocky
SOULSIDE’s Vocalist, Bobby Sullivan
