Renowned Hip-Hop artist and writer Mic Crenshaw has spent recent years reflecting on his youth growing up in Minneapolis, where he spent time with a large group of young adults between their late teens and early 20s attending punk shows, discussing Marxism, and fighting Nazis.
Crenshaw was a part of the Baldies, a group of punk rock-loving teens who donned shaved heads and Doc Martin boots that identified as skinheads, reclaiming the term that had been associated with white supremacy and hate. The Baldies believed that the true meaning of being a skinhead was rooted in British working-class culture that was inherently anti-Fascist in its origin.
Whether it was in parking lots and concert venues, the Baldies would confront any white supremacy-related groups in person and respond with the same violence that they had threatened Black and Brown people. Crenshaw’s experience with the Baldies has been documented in the book “It Did Happen Here: An Antifascist People’s History.” It would then inspire a podcast with the same title later on.
Although Crenshaw had been a successful touring music artist for decades at the time, he didn’t consider himself a literary writer. He first entered into his book deal with PM Press in 2010. For a while, he was self-conscious about his writing.
“I think part of that was like fear of failure and imposter syndrome, like me not being able to imagine myself as a writer,” Crenshaw said. While working with his publisher, Crenshaw traveled back to Minnesota to interview some of his old friends.
“I submitted the outline of my book to PM Press, and it was all about me, and they said this is great, but you should interview other black skinheads.”
While researching his book, Crenshaw was approached by his friend Erin Yanke, who asked if he’d consider lending some of his work and interviews for a podcast.
The pair had access to funds through a radio station they both worked at. They put a proposal together to produce a podcast that highlighted the early experiences that Crenshaw and his peers went through while fighting Neo-Nazis on the front lines.
They released their first episode of “It Did Happen Here” in late 2020 through Portland’s KBOO FM. The show was hosted by Yanke, Crenshaw, and Celina Flores, where they discussed the tension and violent clashes between anti-racist and anti-Fascist groups who went up against Neo-Nazis in the 80s and 90s.
Several others on the production team were what Crenshaw described as conscious people, most of whom identified as being radically left politically.
“Even within that, there’s a pretty diverse spectrum, but some of the things we had in common was a background in social movements for social change and subcultures,” he said.
Over the years, Crenshaw and his peers from similar anti-racist organizations kept keen on the developments of the far right, especially in Portland, which became a flash point for clashes. They witnessed a resurgence of action from white supremacist groups during the Obama years as the nation witnessed its first person of color ascend to the presidency.
“It’s always been like an underlying force in the United States of America, but we watched it kind of proliferate and escalate under Obama as a form of cultural backlash, and then in the Trump years, it got even more heightened,” he described.
Crenshaw has long given up his direct action efforts where he would engage far-right elements in the street and turned to music as his preferred outlet. However, he and his friends, who have already earned their stripes and keep their ear to the ground on these issues, have now looked to the next generation to keep fascists and racists in check.
“If we weren’t in the streets ourselves, we’re close to people who were in the streets engaging these far-right elements,” he said.
When asked what led him to draw on his past and share his experiences with people today, Crenshaw stated that the lessons of the past could still be applied to the issues facing people today. Realizing this, he and his friends felt confident sharing their stories on different platforms, knowing that a broader audience would be interested in these conversations.
When reflecting on his years with the Baldies and other anti-fascist organizations, Crenshaw is grateful that he connected with so many people who aimed to do good work. However, as he looks back, he remembers how consequential things were at the time, making him more aware of how some similar elements are around today.
“I think there were times when one could look at the proliferation of our movement and be proud, but that came later. We felt like we were facing a potential tidal wave. A threat to our existence, so we had to do everything we could,” he said.