​

POC In Punk is a community of People of Color who either work or aspire to work in (but not limited to) the punk scene of the music industry. We encourage artists/bands to hire POC whether it’s for projects or tours, and we support and mentor each other. Our group has a hiring database of POC that artists/bands can hire, and a private Facebook group, a safe space to talk with each other.

​

Hi, my name's Yising Kao (pronounced ee-shing gow), Taiwanese-American content creator and aspiring tour photographer/videographer. I've had this idea for a while to bring POC in the music industry together to build a safe community, but I was hesitant and wasn't sure how yet. However, after speaking with my POC friends over the past few years who've said they wanted to see more diversity in the scene, I was inspired to make something where we could support and connect with each other.

 

Ever since I was 12, I've gone to hundreds of shows, mostly emo/punk and pop, and I noticed that most of the artists' team members and touring crew members were predominantly white. I'm now 23 and can only name a few touring crew members I've met who are POC. Many of my favorite tour photographers are white men because it's hard to find someone who looks like me in the scene to look up to.

 

That's why POC In Punk was created. My amazing POC friends and I aspire to work in the music industry and we want to encourage others to hire POC who are female, non-binary, or male. To artists/bands who support the POC communities, transform your words into actions. If you make the effort, you can make a huge difference!

​

Let's inspire more diversity in the punk scene and let our voices to be heard.

​

Ways you can get involved with POC In Punk/Be a non-POC ally:

​

‣ Share our community and hiring database on social media and in person!

‣ Have discussions with your friends/family about topics that may seem uncomfortable for you

‣ Diversify your friend group

‣ Listen to POC artists/bands of any genre

‣ Ask your friends if they can refer any POC for hire to you

‣ Feel free to email/dm me if you have any questions or if you just wanna say hey!: pocinpunk@gmail.com/@yisingkao

​

Educational resources on the history of Punk Music: