It Takes A “Triiibe!”: Centering Collective Care in A Black Punk Renaissance.
By: Flora Lucini
The concepts of collective care & Mutual Aid are nothing new to BIPOC folks. It is a historic survival tactic that for centuries has manifested organically in our communities especially under systemically oppressive conditions. We can see examples from ancient African societies to “The Black Panthers” to “The Cuir Kitchen Brigade,” “Xingonas In The Pit” and other various QTBIPOC care centered collectives that exist today. When we talk about Punk we are talking about a musical tradition that stands on the shoulders of Black American Musical Traditions to begin with. Many of the ideologies some would traditionally associate with Punk and Hardcore such as “P.M.A.” and “D.I.Y” are ideas also vital to the practice of care in our culture. They are also not exclusive to Punk for they too have always existed in various forms within BIPOC communities out of necessity for our survival and as tools for empowerment.
As my “The 1865” bandmate, Sacha Jenkins, once said:
“Being Black means being Punk ALL the time.”
Though, with much pride, I belong to many villages, I have always dreamed of belonging to a community of chosen family made up of fellow BIPOC Punks, Skins and especially Hardcore Kids. Over my 20 years in Hardcore I never thought that one day there could be a space where I could exist fully as a Black & Indigenous Woman, immigrant and musician without negating my Blackness or having to compromise any aspect of my being to assimilate to the performance of a white supremacist patriarchy. I feel honored to be able to say that here in NYC I now belong to and have co-founded such a group which I affectionately call my “Triiibe.” One comprised of QT+BIPOC Punks and Hardcore kids born out of a scene we have too often been marginalized within or erased out of.
In recent years there has been a reckoning and an even stronger call to action happening in our culture than ever before. This atmosphere has ignited a spark around the world for QTBIPOC Punks to organize in resistance of systemic oppression in every area of our lives; The decolonization of Punk & Hardcore being one of the many powerful products of that movement. Thanks to the creativity, sacrifice and labor of LGBTQIA+BIPOC, especially that of Black Trans Women/Feminists, we now have a language, theory and praxis that has revolutionized our culture and that of identity politics. This new atmosphere has set the global stage for bands like MAAFA and other QTBIPOC creatives in the scene to give life to what I call a care centered “Black Punk Renaissance.” The stars aligned for us all to cross paths and inspire my “Triiibe” to organically manifest. A chosen family seeking to create and sustain a creative community that re-contextualizes Punk and Hardcore within full and unapologetic Black experiences.
In 2018 I had the honor of booking Australian Neo-Classical metal duo “Divide and Dissolve” at the collectively ran Silent Barn (RIP) in the northern Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. A stacked, 5-band bill, The lineup included all Black bands (Embrace the Downside, Rebelmatic, MAAFA, The 1865 and Divide and Dissolve) All of whom were femme fronted with the exception of Rebelmatic. It was a Monday night in February and yet the venue was surprisingly packed. So many wonderful people came out in the dead of winter to support this show. As the room began to fill, I noticed that the demographic of the audience was majority Black. One of the few instances at that time where I could find myself at an almost all Black punk show. This was prior to me joining The 1865 as a bassist and less than a year after starting MAAFA. All the conversations, new friendships and creative collaborations that happened that night reminded so many of us of just how powerful our community and resources are.
Creature the lead singer of Rebelmatic and I had a long conversation, days later, as we always do about how we wish shows like that were the norm and not the exception. So we decided to take action (D.I.Y.) and A few months later Rebelmatic, MAAFA and The 1865 became the first Punk and hardcore bands, especially all Black, that to my knowledge, have ever lead a long running artist-in-residency series at a Major venue in NYC. The residency was officially named “The Rock House” but we affectionately called it “Max Fish-n-Grits” held at the famous “Max Fish Bar (RIP)” in the Lower East Side. For 2 years our monthly residencies felt more like what some can imagine “church” is for religious folks. It was there where our community truly solidified and where creature and I started realizing that what we had created out of necessity and once only dreamed of experiencing, was now growing into a powerful movement far bigger than us.
After the first few months of our residency we knew we were on to something. Creature even once said “People ain’t ever seen some shit like this before.” Every show was always majority if not all Black from both the bands to the audience. We knew we would be able to congregate with other Black folks who had similar experiences as us in the scene and collectively heal various forms of Trauma. This was the beginning of us reimagining hardcore and the possibilities of where it can go. Like all movements that come from punk, the music was what brought us all together. Though we love playing many different types of shows we knew we could never “go back” to a life without what we had created there.
Being a part of this community encourages us to want to revolutionize Black Punk Identity and community. To divorce it from this monolith that assimilates to white supremacy and embrace all the beautiful manifestations of our Blackness. To divorce it from internalized capitalism and rely on each other/neighboring villages (mutual aid) to survive. All while dismantling the typical nihilistic, self-centered status quo of traditional white-washed Punk. We perform care in our everyday lives, keeping in tradition with that of our ancestors. So much of what we do is ancestral memory and is prevalent in our interpersonal relationships outside of shows. For example, we always greet each other with “ I love you to LIFE” instead of “Death” as our way of creating our own language and Use songs like “ Born to win” (By: Rebelmatic) instead of “Born to lose” as our anthem to reinforce our values of Black Positivity and empowerment. We created group chats that everyone checks in with when they get home from shows/events. We celebrate every birthday, have hours of conversation throughout the week to unpack trauma and refer to each other as “mom,” “uncle,” “auntie” or “sibling.” My “Triiibe” is the epitome of a chosen family that operates not just as a collective but often times I see it as a people powered revolution centered on understanding that “We All We Got” is not just a call for unification but an act of warfare against white supremacist patriarchy. One that is decolonizing hardcore and punk by just merely existing in the way we do; in the way we love.
Over the past few years I’ve seen so many BIPOC Punk families popping up in the scene throughout the country and one thing I love most is being able to create community with them. It really serves as such a reciprocal validation of our identities, beliefs and dreams for the future. Every interaction become examples of the changes we wish to see happening in real time. It extends the concept of collective care to not just our immediate community but dare I say our GLOBAL? Ushering in this new age where we get to self-determine who we are as both individuals and a scene. As Creature always says “ You can’t define us if you ain’t us.” We are witnessing the era of a new creative punk renaissance lead by QTBIPOC investing in the collective holistic well-being of our people in ways that offer alternatives to the dependency on the systems that kill us. Which to me is vital in the longevity of our movements; We really are “ALL we got.” I am so grateful for all the bands, homes, creatives, venues, collectives and people I’ve met throughout this journey and encourage anyone reading this to “come home,” we got you! It really is our time.
Flora-Morena Ferreira Lucini is a leading voice in her community both as a business-savvy musician and political activist. Born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and raised in Washington, D.C., Lucini began dancing and performing at the age of seven and later went on to study at Berklee College of Music. She is an advocate of the history, culture, politics, and global contributions of the African diaspora and has dedicated her life and work to social justice through music. Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, Flora is the founder, songwriter and Vocalist for Afro-progressive Hardcore band "MAAFA" and Bassist for Blues-Punk band THE 1865.
This piece was originally published in Muchacha Fanzine’s “Collective Care” issue.
