Positive Force
Encyclopedia
Positive Force DC is an activist organization founded in 1984 by members of the punk community in Washington, D.C.
It has organized hundreds of benefit concerts for community and activist groups, and worked alongside Fugazi
, Bikini Kill
, Nation of Ulysses
, Girls Against Boys
, Q and Not U
and other bands arising from the capital’s punk scene. Positive Force has also engaged in many other forms of progressive activism in the D.C. area, and from about 1985 to the mid 1990s there was a Positive Force house in Arlington, Virginia where various members of the group lived and which the organization operated from.
, with people in and around the band 7 Seconds. Several members of Reno Positive Force moved to Las Vegas and started a chapter there later that year. The idea spread across the United States following the March 1985 publication of an article in Maximum RocknRoll
. Positive Force came together in Washington, D.C. in summer 1985 - Revolution Summer
, according to Dance of Days, a book on the history of D.C. punk by Positive Force DC co-founder Mark Andersen
and Mark Jenkins. While up to a dozen chapters existed at one point or another, the Washington, D.C. group is the only one to survive the 1980s. It continues to operate today.
Positive Force is also featured in the 2011 documentary Positive Force: More Than a Witness: 25 Years of Punk Politics In Action by Robin Bell.
Positive Force and its members have volunteered on behalf of organizations in the capital, and have organized and participated in protests against government policy at the local, national and international levels.
Andersen compiled the State of the Union album, which featured 16 Washington, D.C. bands and was issued in 1989 by Dischord Records
to raise funds for the American Civil Liberties Union
and the Community for Creative Nonviolence, according to Dischord.
Through much of its history, Positive Force offered communal meeting and living space for like-minded groups and individuals. The group provided significant financial support for the Flemming Center, which houses the Positive Force office and several other progressive organizations in Washington, D.C.
Positive Force organized the All Our Power conference, which occurred from Oct. 6 to 8, 2006, in Washington, D.C. The aim of the conference was to include speakers, panel discussions and workshops offering people within the punk community with information on a range of options for activism. Additional conferences are planned for Chicago
and San Francisco, according to the All Our Power Web site. As a follow-up to the conference, the group in 2007 is organizing monthly benefit concerts in Washington, D.C. for local community and activist organizations.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
It has organized hundreds of benefit concerts for community and activist groups, and worked alongside Fugazi
Fugazi (band)
Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The band's continual members are guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty....
, Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...
, Nation of Ulysses
Nation of Ulysses
The Nation of Ulysses was an American punk rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in spring 1988 with four members. Originally known as simply "Ulysses," the first mark of the group consisted of Ian Svenonius on vocals and trumpet, Steve Kroner on guitar, Steve Gamboa on bass guitar, and James...
, Girls Against Boys
Girls Against Boys
Girls Against Boys are an indie rock/post-hardcore band, originally forming in Washington, D.C. in 1988 and currently based in New York City.-Career:...
, Q and Not U
Q and Not U
Q and Not U was a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., signed to Dischord Records. Members John Davis, Harris Klahr, Christopher Richards, and Matt Borlik formed the band in 1998...
and other bands arising from the capital’s punk scene. Positive Force has also engaged in many other forms of progressive activism in the D.C. area, and from about 1985 to the mid 1990s there was a Positive Force house in Arlington, Virginia where various members of the group lived and which the organization operated from.
Founding
The original Positive Force group started in 1984 in Reno, NevadaReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, with people in and around the band 7 Seconds. Several members of Reno Positive Force moved to Las Vegas and started a chapter there later that year. The idea spread across the United States following the March 1985 publication of an article in Maximum RocknRoll
Maximum RocknRoll
Maximum rocknroll is a widely distributed, monthly not-for-profit fanzine based in San Francisco, USA. It features interviews, columns, and reviews from international contributors...
. Positive Force came together in Washington, D.C. in summer 1985 - Revolution Summer
Revolution Summer
Revolution Summer may refer to:* Revolution Summer , a film directed by Miles Montalbano* Revolution Summer , a soundtrack album by Jonathan Richman...
, according to Dance of Days, a book on the history of D.C. punk by Positive Force DC co-founder Mark Andersen
Mark Andersen
Mark Andersen is a punk rock activist and author who lives in Washington D.C.. He was born and raised in rural Montana, and moved to Washington D.C. in 1984 to attend graduate school at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies ....
and Mark Jenkins. While up to a dozen chapters existed at one point or another, the Washington, D.C. group is the only one to survive the 1980s. It continues to operate today.
Documentaries
In 1991, University of Maryland student David M. Weinstein created a documentary called "Wake Up! A Profile of Positive Force" as both a 9-minute short and a 28-minute short. He described it as: "A documentary about Positive Force, a loosely organized group of young people working for social change. P.F. members volunteer in the Washington DC community and promote benefit rock concerts for a wide variety of groups. They also try to live according to a set of humane values." The 9-minute short was a 1992 nominee at the Rosebud Film & Video Festival in Arlington, Virginia.Positive Force is also featured in the 2011 documentary Positive Force: More Than a Witness: 25 Years of Punk Politics In Action by Robin Bell.
Work
As of January 2000, Positive Force DC had organized nearly 300 benefit concerts that raised more than $200,000 for organizations that work to help residents of Washington, D.C. meet their basic needs or to produce “progressive/revolutionary change,” according to the group’s Web site.Positive Force and its members have volunteered on behalf of organizations in the capital, and have organized and participated in protests against government policy at the local, national and international levels.
Andersen compiled the State of the Union album, which featured 16 Washington, D.C. bands and was issued in 1989 by Dischord Records
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in the independent punk music of the D.C.-area music scene. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles...
to raise funds for the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
and the Community for Creative Nonviolence, according to Dischord.
Through much of its history, Positive Force offered communal meeting and living space for like-minded groups and individuals. The group provided significant financial support for the Flemming Center, which houses the Positive Force office and several other progressive organizations in Washington, D.C.
Positive Force organized the All Our Power conference, which occurred from Oct. 6 to 8, 2006, in Washington, D.C. The aim of the conference was to include speakers, panel discussions and workshops offering people within the punk community with information on a range of options for activism. Additional conferences are planned for Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and San Francisco, according to the All Our Power Web site. As a follow-up to the conference, the group in 2007 is organizing monthly benefit concerts in Washington, D.C. for local community and activist organizations.