Black History Month: Sista Grrrl Riots

Everything you know about punk music, the spirit, energy, culture, came from Black people and Black Music. Punk was born from Black resistance against systemic opression. The sounds of punk were influenced by the energy of Little Richard, distorted guitar innovations by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and politically charged reggae by Peter Tosh & Bob Marley. Bad Brains revolutionized hardcore with their highspeed riffs and refusal to conform to genre stereotypes.

Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex, a mixed-race frontwoman, brought a fierce critique of consumer culture and identity politics. Death, formed by three Black brothers in Detroit, predated the Sex Pistols, yet their contributions were ignored until decades later. Black artists shaped punk’s ethos, yet mainstream history erased them to center white narratives, a pattern of cultural appropriation repeated across music history.

Riot Grrrl & Racism

The Riot Grrrl grassroots movement and music genre emerged in the early '90s as a radical feminist response to the sexism and male dominance pervasive in the punk scene. The movement used zines, music, and meetings to create spaces where young women could express their anger, share personal experiences, and challenge patriarchal norms. Bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy became synonymous with Riot Grrrl, delivering raw lyrics about rape, domestic abuse, body image, and female empowerment. However, they rarely acknowledged the intersecting oppressions faced by Black femmes and other women and gender non-conforming people of color. Black women were either tokenized or left out entirely. When their voices were present, they were often treated as exceptions rather than integral contributors to the movement.

Diary of a Sista Grrrl Zine Issue 3

https://issuu.com/sistagrrrlzine/docs/issue_003

While Riot Grrrl opened doors for conversations about gender and feminism in punk, it also highlighted the limitations of a movement that failed to see beyond its own reflection. Today, the legacy of Riot Grrrl is complicated. It inspired countless femmes to find their voices, but it also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of movements that claim to be radical while refusing to confront their own complicity in systemic oppression.

The Sista Grrrl Riots were created to allow Black Punk Women to take up space in punk music, reclaim the foundational history of Black punk and asserting, “We belong here,” not as footnotes but as foundational figures in punk history.

Who Were the Sista Grrrls? Tamar-Kali Brown

Born and raised in Brooklyn by a Gullah mother from South Carolina and a Brooklyn-born father, Tamar-Kali’s heritage deeply influenced her identity and artistry. Tamar-kali was heavily involved in punk and hardcore movements of the 1980s and '90s, where she often found herself as one of the few Black women in predominantly white spaces. Frustrated with the lack of representation, she carved out her own path, blending punk, rock, and soul with raw, confrontational lyrics about identity, rage, and resistance. Her influences ranged from Bad Brains and Siouxsie Sioux to Nina Simone and Billie Holiday.

Who Were the Sista Grrrls? Simi Stone

Born in the late 1970's in Woodstock, New York, Simi Stone grew up surrounded by her town's legendary artistic and musical legacy. She was raised in a multicultural household with Jamaican and Jewish roots exposed to to folk, rock, and soul genres. Simi learned to play violin, guitar, and piano at a young age challenging gender stereotypes and channeling her experiences into her performances. Simi’s genre blending work created space for authenticity in alternative music scenes. Her influences ranged from Prince and David Bowie to folk icons like Joni Mitchell.

Who Were the Sista Grrrls?

Honeychild Coleman

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Honeychild Coleman grew up in a musical household steeped in gospel, soul, and rock. She moved to New York City in the early 1990s and became a key figure in the city’s experimental and punk scenes. Honeychild blended punk with avant-garde sounds pushing against sonic and political boundaries. Her approach to music and activism was shaped by her experiences as a Black woman navigating predominantly white punk spaces, leading her to reclaim and redefine what punk could be. Honeychild was influenced by artists like The Clash, Grace Jones, and Sonic Youth, and infused her music with radical political messages, addressing issues of race, gender, and identity.

Who Were the Sista Grrrls? Maya “Mother Goddess” Sokora

Maya was born in St Louis, Missouri but grade school and high school years were spent in Texas. She went to Booker T. Washington performing arts high school in Dallas at the same time as Erykah Badu and Roy Hargrove. Maya is a poet, musician, and lyricist. Her sharp, introspective work explored themes of race, gender, mental health, and resistance. The artistry bridged the gap between spoken word and punk, using vulnerability as a powerful tool for activism. Influenced by writers like Audre Lorde and musicians like PBo Diddley, Joan Jett, the Ramones & Chuck Berry , Maya crafted lyrics that were both personal and universally resonant.

Sista Grrrls Riots

The idea to form a collective emerged organically. Tired of being at the mercy of male promoters and feeling sidelined, the Sista Grrrls decided to take control. Their first official meeting was less about defining a genre and more about reclaiming space: "We’re all Black women fronting our own bands and writing our own music. Why are we at the mercy of these dudes to book our shows?" Tamar-kali said. They organized their first Sista Grrrl Riot on Valentine's Day, 1998, at Brownies. Each member leveraged their connections to book venues, design flyers, and promote the shows, creating an underground support network. The energy was raw, visceral, and liberating. Zines circulated, filled with radical ideas on race, gender, and identity. These gatherings were messy, loud, and beautiful. The Sista Grrrl Riots challenged punk to live up to its radical potential.

Birth of Afropunk

The Riots planted the seeds for Afropunk, which began as a documentary by James Spooner exploring the lives of Black punks feeling isolated in predominantly white scenes. The film sparked a global movement, evolving into an annual festival celebrating Black alternative culture.

“Afropunk came afterward and built upon what was already happening. The Afropunk that we knew then wasn’t what it is now. It was a docmentary film that captured some of what was already happening. Back then I used to close all my shows with a cover of the Patti Smith song “Rock&Roll N-er”. It blew people’s minds to hear that song reclaimed and thrown back at the word by a Black Woman. Some folks were offended of course, but to others (especially women of color I think) it was the most Punk Rock thing ever. It was a huge fuck you to anyone who had shut us out or made Black Women feel that we didn’t belong in the Rock world. We fucking created that shit.”

Underground Rock Legends: Maya Mother Goddess: At The Headquarters Of A Super Shero Rocker - https://theculturerockgriot.wordpress.com/2021/03/06/undergroun d-rock-legends-maya-mother-goddess-at-the-headquarters-of-asuper-shero-rocker/

Downtown Grrrls - https://www.talkhouse.com/downtown-grrrls/

Alternatives to Alternatives: the Black Grrrls Riot Ignored - https://www.vice.com/en/article/alternatives-to-alternatives-theblack-grrrls-riot-ignored/

What is Sista Grrrl’s Riot? Punk Music, Collaboration and Revolution - https://longreads.com/2015/08/05/what-is-sista-grrrls-riot-punkmusic-collaboration-and-revolution/

How Sista Grrrl Riot Made Room for Black Queers in Punk https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/how-sista-grrrl-riotmade-room-for-black-queers-in-punk