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I am white. This is not for the black community who already knows this. This is for my white friends and relatives who need to hear it. I'm going to talk about something I know a lot about. I'm no expert, I have no music degree, and the Black Lives Matter movement is about things so much bigger and more important than music. But I love music, as do many of you, and I love a particular genre that many of my friends also love. Metal. "How does this relate to what is going on in the world right now?!" some of you might be asking. I'll tell you. A truth many of you might not know or even care about. We would not have metal if it weren't for black musicians. "But metal concerts are mostly white crowds! It's white people music! What are you talking about?!" Well, metal/hard rock hasn't been around as we know it all that long. Only since about the 70s with artists such as Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin, KISS, etc. Metal and hard rock as we know it has its roots in the rock and roll of the 50s. Now, I know you hear "rock and roll" and "50s" and immediately think Elvis Presley or other white artists like him.

But where did they come up with it?

Short answer: they didn't.

Elvis spoke out quite often about how he was "inspired" by black blues artists. Inspired is in quotes because Elvis basically stole his entire routine from one of the black artists he so claimed to be inspired by. Chuck Berry. If you don't know who he is, I am not surprised. See, segregation was going on at that time. Because, it was the 50s. Duh. Black artists only had credit in their community basically. So Elvis, a white boy, saw Chuck Berry's routine, liked it, and took it as his own. Profiting off of the ideas of black artists by using his whiteness to make it more popular. I know you're thinking "but people censored him because his dances were seen as too provocative back then!" True! Guess why? Because black people created them. They were seen as lesser humans. "Animals", "perverted", any label white people could pin on black people in order to dehumanize them. As you well know, racism is the reason for segregation, as they freed the slaves but still didn't see them as "human enough" to fit into their lilly-white society. However, dancing this way and making white parents mad was what made the teens and young adults love it so much. We were all teens. Most of us, especially in the rock community, know all about rebellious teen years. Of course they liked what their parents hated. But parents mostly hated it because it was drawn from the black community. Yes, things were very much conservative back then, so anything remotely sexual was just unheard of in media. But they mostly pinned the "sinning" and "provocative" behavior on the black community. Some of this you're obviously aware of.

But what you may not be aware of is a lot of that inherent, ingrained racism from 50s rock and roll still plagues the rock community today. Do you know why when you wear that Slipknot shirt out in public you get angry glares from people? Why dressing in all black and having tattoos and piercings is still seen as such a bad thing by some today? Well, 1. as obviously mentioned above, rock and roll has it's roots in the blues of black artists. It was always seen as a "black" thing, and thus it was "evil" and "corrupted the youth." 2. Tattoos and piercings, as I'm sure you're aware, was a tradition by native peoples, yes, Africans as well, to signify certain things to them depending on the piercing or tattoo they got. Again, a "black" thing that was "evil." So, when they see us dressed like that, they may not immediately think racist thoughts, but the thoughts that are ingrained in them that rock and roll is evil are inherently racist and they don't even realize it! This is not to say we are experiencing the same sort of discrimination black people have! We ABSOLUTELY HAVE NOT! Because the music we listen to and the way that we dress may just get a dirty look. And those people may not realize that their ideas about the genre are rooted in racism. And your skin is most likely white. They have their misconceptions about us, but we by no means are experiencing racism. Black people, however, even within our own community which was founded off the backs of their ancestors, like many things in this country's history, still experience major racism.

"But I'm not racist!" Didn't you just say at the beginning of this that metal is "white people music?" Yet we wouldn't have it without the influence of the black community. Metal, as it started, was very political. And most of the messages, especially if you'd listened to any Black Sabbath lyrics at all, were about taking down the man. Doing away with corrupt government. Fighting oppressors. A lot of those themes still exist in metal today. And a lot of those artists still wholeheartedly believe what they sing. Many of your favorites, I'm sure, are walking the walk instead of just talking the talk. Protesting, donating, signing petitions and encouraging their fans to do the same. And you've probably told them to just "shut up and sing, I didn't come here for politics." DUDE! Music in general, especially heavier music, has ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL! And has mostly been from the liberal side! But wanna know something? Black Lives Matter is not about politics. It is about treating human beings like human beings and not like animals that you can slaughter at will. Don't let me hear you say racism doesn't exist. As you've read here, it is ingrained in even music, so imagine what other aspects of society it is so ingrained in that you can't even see it anymore. Stop telling musicians in general (as they are people and can use their platform however they choose, not just to make you personally happy) especially rock musicians to not engage in politics. And DEFINITELY don't tell them to not speak up about Black Lives Matter. They are doing their part to dismantle the systemic racism that runs so deep into every part of our country that it seems -normal- to some of us! They are putting into action all the things they sing about! And most importantly, they are being there for the black community, who started rock and roll to even begin with!

My last point, I'm so tired of hearing about "but protestors shouldn't be violent!" Kaepernick took a knee. He was taken down by so many people for that. It was peaceful. Martin Luther King protested peacefully. He was assassinated by the government. Rosa Parks took a seat and refused to move. Not causing anyone any harm. But they hurt her. Peaceful protests to be treated like a human being have not been listened to for hundreds of years. And they've not been listened to recently either. After all that time, of COURSE someone is going to have had enough. But they aren't killing anyone. They are destroying THINGS. Things can be replaced, even if expensive. Human beings can never be replaced once lost. Think about that. Also think about the fact that some people arrested for looting and destroying property have been discovered to be white supremacists. Some opportunists just looking for a reason to loot. And some undercover cops looking to cause violence so they have a reason to act with force. The news isn't showing you everything. Think about the many rock songs you've heard talking about a controlling, corrupt, and oppressive government. Those were not just songs. Those ideas came from somewhere. It's because the people who wrote those songs saw that. They saw what was going on in our world. What's unfortunately still going on. All of our technological advancements, and an old-seeming backwards idea such as someone being lesser than just because of what color their skin is still massively plagues our society. Not to mention white fans rioting and destroying property after losing/winning at sports. But "they're just celebrating/angry." Bullshit. Moshpits. Walls of Death. Those are things we do at the rock show just to celebrate us all being united in the name of music. We need to come together and use that same fuel, that same thing that gets us fired up when seeing our favorite bands live, and use it to help black people continue this fight for justice. You can't love metal/rock and not being willing to put into action those very words that make your blood boil and make you want to riot in the crowd.

To be racist, to say things you should look deeper into and realize are racist, and educate yourself (very easy to do in the age of information), yet be a fan of rock music is inherently hypocritical. I'm not saying you HAVE to get out there and march, I'm saying you can help SOMEWHERE. Have some cash you can spare? Donate to the cause. Don't have spare cash? Honey, I know that feeling. But there are petitions you can sign! You can volunteer your time to help make signs protestors can use. You can get involved on social media. There are plenty of ways to help make this cause move forward! Just realize the words you say, know the history of the things you love, and know where your thoughts are really coming from. Hopefully, this has shed some light on at least a little something for some of you.

Rock on, Black Lives Matter!

Love,

Tabby

p.s. Below is linked a masterdoc of ways you can get involved! Hopefully this has inspired you to do so!