Where to turn to in trying times?
Punk rock — specifically, the punk spirit of uplifting and empowering marginalized communities at a time when society at large seems to be spiraling out of control.
That’s the thinking behind “PunkCon,” an all-day event May 4 at Cal State Fullerton that is free and open to the public and will feature a blend of academic panels, poster and multimedia presentations, vendors, bands, drag shows, workshops, roundtables, and activism.
It’s a celebration, say organizers, including Marlén Ríos-Hernández, an assistant professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at CSUF, of members of non-mainstream communities who refuse to be silenced.
Ríos-Hernández founded the event in 2019 at UC Riverside with Susana “Susy Riot” Sepulveda, an assistant professor in residence of gender and sexuality at University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Back then, the biennial event was known as “USC PunkCon.”
Next month’s event is the third PunkCon and the first time it is being held at CSUF, running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Humanities Building.
“When Susy and I were crafting a theme for this year’s event,” Ríos-Hernández said, “we had in mind the political climate of the moment. We’re activists in our own right. We do social justice work.
“The heart of PunkCon has always centered around social justice and championing social justice causes, so this year we were thinking about the ways that punk is thriving at a time we feel we are at our most nihilistic.
“This is not a fun time. We wanted to hear from folks about how punk thrives in what to us feels like the end of times.”
Team members
Expected to attract 100 people, PunkCon 2024 boasts a tight circle of organizers beyond Ríos-Hernández and Sepulveda.
Arianna Washington, a CSUF undergrad, is serving as lead archivist.
Another undergraduate — Kimby Ruiz, who is majoring in computer animation and has designed a logo for the event, is the social media manager.
“It’s been my pleasure to be part of this — especially as an undergrad,” Ruiz said. “Being somebody at a very confusing time in their life, especially when the world is at its most confusing, it feels nice to know that this event is happening.
“Punk is something I’ve been a part of for a very long time, and to know it’s being welcomed into an institution I never thought it would be gives me a lot of hope and the feeling that maybe people aren’t as uptight as I thought they were.”
Ruiz pointed to the huge history of punk in Orange County, including seminal bands such as Social Distortion.
“We just want to acknowledge punk and nurture it more in these academic spaces because there’s always the stereotype of the ignorant punk — the punk that doesn’t go to college, the druggie, and I feel we’re a lot more than that.”
Adri Garcia earned her master’s degree from CSUF in cultural anthropology in 2023. Garcia, who is serving as vendor/tabling coordinator for PunkCon, studied ties between women of color, patriarchal norms, independence, and what those connections mean to Orange County punk.
“Especially during this challenging political climate, I really believe punk deserves a seat at the academic table,” Garcia said. “If you look at academia, it’s a community that challenges you to think outside the box and come up with your own concepts and theories. Studying punk through an academic lens is so important, and there are a lot of us out here doing it.”
Standing for something
Josie Wreck is a transgender Xicanx solo artist born and raised in Santa Ana who has been performing on the local music scene for nearly two decades. She describes her sound as chaotic Western post-punk with a side of no wave and a splash of punk noise.
“With PunkCon,” Wreck said, “I was happy to jump on board and help find talent and offer support in other ways as well. I leaped at the opportunity.”
Wreck said if you’re punk, “you have to stand for something.”
Something she and her co-organizers of PunkCon stand for is justice.
“In Orange County 20 years ago, it was absolutely way more conservative and challenging to be visibly trans and queer as a brown person,” Wreck said. “It’s always been a battlefield of misogyny, trans-misogyny, sexism and homophobia, and the fact that after all these years there’s a punk conference being run by radical women of color to reclaim and to tell our stories and experiences, to provide a platform for other people to come share their experiences, in these times when people’s rights are getting removed — bodily autonomy and gender identify — is great for people.”
Added Wreck, a first-generation trans-Chicana: “There’s been a lot of ground gained in terms of representation for trans people and women and people of color, but even with so much progress that had been made, to have all our rights challenged by mainstream society and out-of-touch, warmongering, fear-mongering old politicians, is dismaying.
“Punk is a sound of resistance, and I’m excited to be part of this, especially in Orange County. The punk rock spirit is to uplift and empower community, not to separate us and be competitive with each other.”
CSUF students and alumni are encouraged to RSVP for free and/or sign up to present. For more information, contact Ríos-Hernández at mrioshernandez@fullerton.edu.
Related Articles
National conference hosted at CSUF looks at sport through a sociocultural lens
Titan Voices: The transformative power of role models
Cal State Fullerton arboretum’s new name reflects its mission as a living laboratory
Fran Colwell honored for service to students, community at Arboretum
CSUF study will look at how Black youths in foster care overcome educational challenges