AfroPunk Festival in Brooklyn, July 4 - 13th

Ethiopian child with MohawkI wish AfroPunk was around when I was a teenager... At 15 I wasn't a fan of "punk" music, but I was all about expressing creativity and discovering myself in anti-establishment ways that made me stand out from other Black and Latino kids. For me that meant having fun with FASHION! Black eyeliner & lipstick, torn clothing held together by safety pins, vintage digs, rockin' menswear, wearing my hair crazy curly like Slash from GNR, etc...

The ultimate compliment came one day from a fellow Emma classmate who exclaimed, "I'm always excited every morning to see what you'll be wearing!" Yes, that was exactly the affirmation that I needed to withstand being chided as the Latina version of Morticia Adamms.

Luckily the social outcasts of today can bond and celebrate their diversity through a host of activities at the AfroPunk festival in Brooklyn this month.

Get more info about the festival and schedule of events at the official AfroPunk website.

While you're there, browse through the members and Groups like the Mohawk-ian-ians where I found this photo of a stunning Ethiopian child rockin' a Mohawk!

Or see what you're missing - watch the NY Times Urbaneye Video coverage of the AfroPunk festival.

Then finish it off with a brilliant memoir-style All Hip-Hop article by Michaela angela Davis titled "With the Quickness: A Little Tale of Young, Black Love...Hardcore Style".

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