Concert, The Midwest Antifascist Gathering, Aims to Raise Mutual Aid Funding
Riverwest event features mix of Chicago and Milwaukee groups.
Midwest Antifascist Gathering. Image courtesy of Black Riff Productions.
Kevin Pappas doesn’t remember exactly when he reached a breaking point, but watching videos of ICE agents pulling family members away from their loved ones struck a chord that just couldn’t be silenced.
“I think that reached a point for me that made me say, ‘I have to do something,’” Pappas says.
So Pappas turned to doing what he knew he could do well: booking a benefit show.
The Midwest Antifascist Gathering is a seven-band show put together by Pappas’ Black Riff Productions booking company that will aim to raise money for the Community Task Force, a local group of community leaders and activists who “work towards peace, unity and progress” in Milwaukee. The show, scheduled for Aug. 29, will also collect nonperishable food donations and diapers for MKE Dream Team United, another local group aimed at “spreading love and unity” throughout the greater Milwaukee area.
“I knew that the best thing for me to do that could make an impact is to book a benefit,” Pappas says.
This isn’t the first benefit that Black Riff Productions has put on. In the past, the company has put on several benefit shows under the titles of Stand Up/Fight Back and the RNC Protest Kickoff and has raised money for organizations like Planned Parenthood, Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee, MKE Trans and Queer Depot and more. Black Riff Productions has currently raised over $10,000 through its benefit shows.
“I think that getting a real understanding of mutual aid, and making it a focal point in our lives as a means of survival and resistance is going to be a key for working class folks across the board,” says Pappas.
The Midwest Antifascist Gathering features both local and national bands, all falling under the genres of punk or metal. Highlights include a performance by Racetraitor, a legendary punk band from Chicago that has been outspoken about political issues since the ‘90s. Headlining the show is La Armada, a Dominican-American band also based in Chicago known for criticizing colonialism and the targeting of undocumented immigrants.
Aside from raising mutual aid funds, the show also aims to bring the community together to discuss and debate political issues in a productive way. The flyer for the show emphasizes that the event is both “anti-Republican” and “anti-Democrat,” but “pro working class.”
“It’s my opinion that we are not going to be able to vote our way out of this mess,” Pappas says. “I felt like I didn’t see elected officials on either side of the aisle doing anything that wasn’t performative to stop these things from happening.”
The Midwest Antifascist will be held at Falcon Bowl and will begin at 6 p.m. Admission to the event is $10. For those who feel powerless in today’s political climate, Pappas invites you to try attending a benefit show.
“An event like this is a great way for the music community to do something for a community outside of themselves,” Pappas says. “At this point, I don’t think there is anything more important that we can do other than stand together in the face of this thing, and do something for the some of the most vulnerable communities being affected by the fascist regime that is the United States.”
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