Let’s get straight to the point. Constantly being the only person of color in the room sucks. Don’t get me wrong, the Leo in me loves being the stand out in the crowd, but when you’re the only black girl in a vast sea of white people, it can feel pretty daunting. I’ve been dealing with this problem pretty much my entire life. From growing up in a predominately white town, to attending a predominantly white college, as well as going to a whole lot of indie concerts, I am very familiar feeling as if everyone is looking at me...kind of like the entire crowd has just seen a monster.
In our podcast, Are You With the Band?, my best friends Nadia and Cindy tackle the issues that women and people of color face as fans of a predominately white music genre. I love indie music, which pretty much makes me a freak in the black community! I particularly love live music. There’s nothing better than the blaring bass beating in your chest and being pushed around a pit filled with sweaty people (aaah...those pre-Covid memories). But even through the euphoria, as the only black person in the crowd, there remains that sense of loneliness.
I started really going to concerts at the end of high school (I know very late.) I went to a lot of these shows by myself considering that none of my friends at the time liked the same music as me. This was so scary for me not only because of my race but also because I am a major introvert, especially back then. I’m not sure what happens to me when the music starts, but the second the band gets on the stage, I lose my mind and completely forget all of my problems. It’s always during the dreaded pre show wait where I scan the room and realize that, yeah sis it’s just you. It’s a hard feeling to explain unless you’ve experienced being the minority. Even after 120 concerts, it’s something you don’t really get used to.
In a prior episode of our podcast, Cindy and I discussed the lack of people of color working in the music industry. We looked back onto one show specifically where we realized the lack of diversity in the industry. I’ll never forget seeing a stage full of white men setting up for the main act. That moment really put the final nail in the coffin. Hey artists? NOT ONLY WHITE MEN ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY!!
I know so many amazing talented women and people of color that are interested in working in the industry and it is so disheartening going to show after show seeing nobody that looks like you. It may not seem like a huge deal but representation is so crucial. After my first couple of shows, I knew I wanted to work around live music in some way, shape or form. After seeing mostly white men and the occasional woman on the stage, I really thought it was a job mostly for white people. It is important to think about how things like this can affect others.
It seems that people are finally waking up to the injustices that black people face on a daily basis. It’s nice to see so many people speak up and stand in solidarity with the black community. While it’s refreshing to see all of these artists and bands speak up, I have to wonder are they actually doing anything with their platform or are they just being performative activists? Are they hiring black people? Are they using their platform to amplify black voices? Are they making sure their non-white fans feel welcome at their shows? You can talk all you want but what counts is your actions.
This is just one of the many topics we talk about on our podcast (most of it is just funny stories from our concert travels.) So make sure you listen and remember, stop hiring just white people!
Words by: Shelby Fields
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