HOW @MELANINRAVERS IS GIVING BLACK RAVERS THE PLATFORM THEY DESERVE
Melanin Ravers is the kind of account that the rave community on social media, particularly Instagram, needs more of. Started in summer of 2018 on the last day of EDC, when co-founders Serena and Jasmine decided that enough was enough when it came to the lack of representation, Melanin Ravers is one of the first accounts to give black ravers the platform they deserve. “The thought behind the Instagram page {came} from a friend of mine after a conversation about a news clip of a black raver asking to be seen because you rarely see black ravers in the limelight when it comes to EDM,” said co-founder Serena when asked how the account first came into existence. “We were in the car to go to EDC, and I went back and forth about the idea because I didn’t think this page would be THAT popular. Eventually, I said, “Fine I’m making it, and it’s going to be called Melanin Ravers.” What started as an idea in the backseat of a carpool has now turned into a flourishing online presence. With nearly two thousand followers the account has seen astronomical growth. “I was sick [during EDC],” Serena said, “but [I] managed to get seven people’s photos that night and the feedback made me realize this is what exactly what needed to happen.”
From its humble beginnings, the account has become a haven for black ravers who despite submitting their photos to the more significant accounts are rarely often featured. According to its administrators, while they tend to receive the majority of their tags following major festivals, they receive a steady flow of tags, DMs, and hashtags. No matter the number of submissions they receive, there is seemingly always a new post or two featuring black ravers and shufflers. “We try to post something every day,” said Serena. “On busy days we like to space out our posts an hour apart so that that melanin raver or melanin group photo get…a chance to be seen.” The outpouring of support from other black ravers is a testament to the fact that what Melanin Ravers is doing is something that has long been missing from the online rave community.
Though the account has existed for around a year, the two co-administrators have only recently met in real life. Part of this was because they are located completely differs parts of the country. Jasmine, who works as an EMT and is majoring in fire protection, is located in San Diego, California while Serena lives in Florida where she currently works as a barista for Starbucks. The pair had connected on Instagram prior to the creation of the account, after encountering one another through an EDC Las Vegas Facebook group, and their dialogue online was one of the reasons why Serena initially reached out to Jasmine about Melanin Ravers. Despite their geographical differences the two still manage the account together, posting and even organizing a meet and greet for other Ravers of Color at Escape Psycho Circus this year. When asked about the experience of gathering together with other black ravers at an event on the scale of Escape was like Serena has this to say, “It went great! We traded Kandi and just held a conversation on why Melanin Ravers was important to us. I met a number of ravers after who couldn’t make it.” After having such a positive experience, they are actively planning on trying to host at EDC Vegas for their first anniversary.
Both of Serena and Jasmine are still somewhat floored by the success of the account. “I feel like it happened overnight,” said co-founder Serena, “I'm always shocked when I look at the follower number and the time frame since MR was started. Like this is happening and we can’t turn our back on this.” However, the success of the account seems to be a reasonable response to a segment of the rave community that has been given little to no attention beforehand, finally receiving it’s due. When asked about the experience as a black raver, co-founder Jasmine was positive but still somewhat measured, “I would be lying if I didn’t say I felt ‘lonely’ sometimes because I rarely saw other black people. As I keep going to events, I keep seeing more and more. It just puts a huge smile on my face because then I don’t feel like I’m the only one.” Yes, the numbers of people of color, specifically African Americans at raves is increasing, but when it comes to representation on accounts that feature ravers or rave fashion, there is still a great way to go towards equality.
Representation is perhaps one of the most accurate measures of progress in a community. When you see an accurate representation of all of the different types of people involved in something it tends to be a good measure of acceptance and equality, however, it is difficult to ignore the apparent absence of POC and specifically black ravers on Instagram accounts that highlight ravers and rave fashion. While it can be noted that this does not necessarily equate to or stem from discrimination, it is constant enough to push ravers like Jasmine and Serena into action. “I’m a strong believer of if you want something done, then you got to do it yourself,” said Serena. “If other accounts aren’t going to promote us, then we’re going to promote our own. Everybody’s not built the same. I’ve personally tried to submit a few posts to other rave pages, and I rarely get chosen. It gets discouraging after a while. So by us creating Melanin Ravers, it gives other black ravers something that they can relate and connect too.”
When I asked them about their plans for the future of the account both of its co-administrators had an eye towards growth. “We would love to sell ‘merch' and also team up with rave companies on promoting each other,” Serena said, “Ultimately [we would love] to hold raves giving black performers a chance to shine. But we are taking it one follower at a time.” However, despite their ancillary goals, the main intention behind the account has remained and will always remain: giving black ravers the platform they have been seemingly denied. Both of them were quite clear that they do not expect change to happen overnight, but are optimistic about the progress they have made.
One of the things that makes the rave community so wonderful is that it is diverse and it is accepting of everyone regardless of shape, size, race, or religion. However, we need to see more of that diversity in the media surrounding our community if we want the rest of the world to take notice. It is not enough to be accepted at events if when it comes to the 'cultural' and 'promotional' side of the community online, there is no representation. Yes, I love raves because I personally feel completely accepted yet it can be discouraging to those on the outskirts of the community, who's only metric of whether they will be accepted are major rave accounts, which predominantly feature white women. This is not to say that every account isn't promoting diversity, only to point out that we can always do more when it comes to promoting acceptance. Why not highlight the difference that exists in our community instead of pushing a false image of who ravers are and where they come from?
