Partnering with sponsors like Puma and BAM Cinematek, Afro-Punk, a website, documentary and 40,000 member-strong online community is hosting a 2nd annual weekend of events in New York from June 30-July 4.

Founded by James Spooner as a resource for publicizing and raising funds for his documentary Afro Punk, which explores the black experience within the punk rock movement, tackling "issues of loneliness, exile, interracial dating and black power," Afro-Punk has grown far beyond those beginnings to serve as the locus for a far-flung community of black rock bands and their fans, as well as a space to explore racial politics and pop culture from a number of angles, including the historical perspective.

Such eclecticism is certainly in evidence in the Afro-Punk Fest, which includes five days of film screenings at the famed BAM theaters in downtown Brooklyn. Screenings include several documentaries on the black power movement as well as Paris Is Burning, Afro-Punk, Dance Hall Queen, and Punk Attitude. Additionally, there are three nights of shows at venues including CBGB's featuring up and coming bands like The Eternals, Game Rebellion and CX Kidtronix alongside heavy hitters like DJ Spooky and Don Letts, the man responsible for turning a generation of British punks (including The Clash) on to reggae music.

A decidedly DIY affair, the Afro-Punk movement has grown over the past several years from an inspiring set of emails and fundraising parties held on the Lower East Side of Manhattan into a national movement within the music underground that spans genres, generations and continues to grow and gain momentum.

This latest incarnation is an inspiring look into many facets of what it's like to be black and not fit into the predominant social and cultural expectations of society and your community while always celebrating those unique and individual qualities that have helped to keep the punk aesthetic vital in the 30 years since it first exploded into the public consciousness.

It appears you don't have Flash installed.