Afro-Punk Screening Ends Black History with a Bang
On Thursday, February 29, students and community members filed into the PARC to begin an evening of education and entertainment focused on the 2003 documentary Afro-Punk. This event was held on the last day of Black History Month, celebrating the Black presence in punk and hardcore music over the past four decades. After a casual social hour of snacking on pizza to an Afro-Punk soundtrack, attendees filed into PAB 320 for the documentary screening. The event’s organizers, Zine Librarian Ann Matsushima Chiu and Visual Resources Curator Chloe Van Stralendorff, introduced the film by announcing the Reed Zine Fest to be held later this month, with Afro-Punk director James Spooner as the keynote speaker.
Afro-Punk sheds light on the often-ignored experiences of Black punks through interviews with musicians, DJs, and other members of white-dominated punk and hardcore scenes across America. The film touches on deep-rooted issues of racism, cultural appropriation, and exclusion faced by its interviewees within punk and the country at large. The interviewees speak about their relationship to punk and Blackness with both humor and insightful candor, giving the film a conversational, realistic tone.
Central to Afro-Punk is the idea that Black people are not just an extraneous part, but a vital source of culture in punk and America at large. To many of the interviewees, their involvement in punk is an important part of their identity, rather than something incompatible, despite the primarily white image of punk. Particularly striking was the late Matt Davis’ discussion of making deeply personal music about the generational trauma of slavery for a white audience who, at best, only somewhat understand.
More than two decades after its release, Afro-Punk remains relevant today in its thoughtful examination of the role of Black culture and identity in alternative subcultures. Racism and cultural appropriation are still issues in many punk scenes, while Black musicians and creatives continue to use the genre for self-expression and social commentary.
After the documentary was over, a Zoom discussion session moderated by Student Body President Andee Gude ‘26 and Zine Library Intern Aida Taha ‘26 began with director James Spooner. Spooner, who is the author of The High Desert and Black Punk Now in addition to his filmmaking, gave insight into the process of creating Afro-Punk. For Spooner, directing the film came about from his time spent as a mixed-race person of color in various punk scenes throughout his life.
One interesting point of the discussion came about with Spooner’s doubts about the existence of a real Black punk scene. He recalled seeing crowds of exclusively Latino or Asian people at punk shows and thinking, “We’ll never have this.” Spooner explained how, although there are growing numbers of Black punk musicians and shows, thanks in part to Afro-Punk itself, he does not believe there is a distinct, long-lasting culture of specifically Black punk and hardcore music.
Spooner added that in his opinion the appropriation of Black music by mainstream white culture contributes to the absence of a Black punk scene. Concluding on an optimistic note, he expressed his appreciation for the ways Black musical culture is constantly evolving to find new sounds and beats in the face of cultural appropriation.
The Reed Zine Fest will be held on Saturday, March 30, in Kaul Auditorium. The festival will feature zine creators from the Portland area and beyond, and keynote speaker James Spooner will give a talk beginning at noon in PAB 320.