Xicano Hardcore: The power behind the punch

All photos courtesy of Xicano Hardcore: A Mosh for Youth Documentary

Jumping up and down, punching fists and in-your-face lyrics. Mosh pits in Pomona are more than sweat and piercings; they’re paving the way for accessible education.

Ponoma’s Mosh for Youth group is changing the perception of hardcore and what it means to mosh. Mosh for Youth is a non-profit focused on raising money for local kids to receive scholarships for college. It was founded in 2015 by local teacher Victor Campos, who has his own hardcore band known as Barrio Slam. He started hosting shows when he was just 14.

He says hardcore is more than just anger for no reason.

“It’s violence for a reason. It’s anger for a reason,” said Campos, “I think hardcore is a reflection of the society at the time. The lyrics, the music, it’s a result of what’s going on around us.”

Campos spoke about the connection between the Latin community and hardcore. 

“Right now, where you live in political turmoil, with the ICE raids, and you know, our current president and all of that stuff, is feeding the aggression and the aggressive lyrics that are coming out today,” Campos said.

Magdalena Aparicio, a Chapman junior studying film and television production, says she first heard about Mosh for Youth when attending one of their shows in Los Angeles.

“I just thought it was really cool because hardcore and alternative spaces have always been something that’s really misunderstood,” she said. “I wanted to bring attention to the work that everyone here does.”

That’s when Magdalena began to get involved in the nonprofit, releasing a documentary about the work they do and hardcore culture. She says hardcore is often misunderstood.

“I think a lot of people, from the outside, view hardcore as violent, obviously. But, I think for me specifically, there have been no people who have been kinder to me. Since high school, no strangers have been able to turn out for their communities in the way that I’ve seen hardcore and punk communities,” said Aparicio. 

The documentary explores the work of Mosh for Youth, with deep dives into the people behind the nonprofit and how their lives have changed. 

The documentary was screened at Pomona’s Gente Organizada, another Pomona nonprofit organization focused on strengthening and advocating for the wellness of youth and families within the community. 

Mosh for Youth is creating a safe and welcoming space for youth and the community to gather and connect over these strong emotions.

Campos organizes hardcore mosh shows in the Pomona area. Proceeds from the events go towards a scholarship fund available for students in Pomona, East Los Angeles and San Bernardino. 

The shows give students in the area, who otherwise wouldn’t have the means to go to college, an opportunity to chase their dreams. One scholarship recipient, Isaac Canales, shared his experience.

“My sophomore year of high school, I started attending hardcore shows. I found (out) about Mosh for Youth, and college for me was always a weird type of thing because I didn’t think I was smart enough to go to college,” Canales said. “As I went on, I saw my sister go to college, I saw my aunt go to college, and it kind of pushed me to really want to go to college and better myself. And not get stuck in where I was at, because I saw a lot of my friends going the wrong way, moving in the wrong direction.” 

Isaac is currently studying at University of California, Riverside. He said he hopes to teach history one day, just like Victor.

There are many students in the Pomona community that Mosh for Youth is serving.

East Los Angeles, Pomona and San Bernardino face higher poverty rates than the California average, according to the US Census Data. On top of that they also face lower graduation rates and bachelors degrees. Gente Organizada works to create reports for Pomona, tracking Pomona's budget changes, spending and education in the area. Including demographics, literary scores, attendance and funding. Mosh for Youth continues to encourage students to pursue college despite the challenging statistics.

While Mosh for Youth is extending its reach, they have plans to do much more. If granted unlimited resources, Campos says he would make Mosh for Youth his full-time job.

“I would just expand. Like Isle Pomona, San Bernardino, they need us. Unfortunately, right now, it’s only one recipient per city,” he said, “I want more students to get, you know, a hefty amount. Something that makes sense for a scholarship. So expansion, like having more shows, more funds, and helping more people,” said Campos.

Aparicio explained her belief that it “takes a village to save a village.” This is the exact philosophy that Mosh for Youth and Gente Organizada possess. They are focused on doing hands-on work within their communities to support each other. Through music and dance, they are forming connections and cultivating a space where they can share their struggles and work on solutions, together. 

“It’s bigger than Mosh for Youth. I think the mission is bigger than hardcore shows. It’s about uplifting our communities and making sure that our cities’ stories are being told the correct way. There’s beauty everywhere, right? We just got to put ourselves around it,” said Campos.

You can watch Aparicio’s documentary here. Visit these links for more information on Mosh for Youth and Gente Organizada.