Minneapolis-Based Anti-Racism Documentary Screening at the Minnesota History Center

For immediate release

Release dated: May 3, 2023

MNHS media contacts: Jack Bernstein, 651-259-3058, jack.bernstein@mnhs.org  or Allison Ortiz, 651-259-3051, allison.ortiz@mnhs.org 

Free showing spotlights the local youth subculture in the 1980s

ST. PAUL, Minn (May 3 , 2023) – The Minnesota Historical Society is honored to welcome guests to the Minnesota History Center for an exclusive free screening of documentary The Baldies.

Viewers are welcome inside the 3M Auditorium on Saturday, May 20 from 1 pm–3 pm to view this Twin Cities PBS documentary providing an in-depth look at a largely untold piece of Minneapolis’s history: the story of the Baldies, a multiracial skinhead gang who fought Neo-Nazis in the streets of Minneapolis in the 1980s. The group later started the Anti-Racist Action (ARA), a nationwide network of anti-racist activists. 

Skinhead culture started as multicultural and anti-racist, but was eventually co-opted by white supremacy. This youth subculture grew rapidly during a movement across the United States against fascism. 

“Youth subcultures are often distorted and misunderstood,” said film director David Roth. "When I discussed the idea at work, not one other producer thought skinheads could be anything but racist and fascist. I felt the skinhead subculture was so badly maligned that someone had to make a positive documentary about it."

Following the film, attendees are encouraged to stick around to learn additional details surrounding the history of anti-racist skinhead organizing during a panel discussion with former Baldies members and David Roth.

The event is free, but seats are limited! You can register for the event here. If you’d like the film screener or to set up an interview, please email jack.bernstein@mnhs.org. 

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves, and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs, and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories, and connects people with history.