guitarist Tom Morello has revealed the racist treatment he endured when he was growing up. The 60-year-old, who was born in Harlem but spent much of his childhood in the Libertyville suburb of Chicago, says in that he went through both “microaggressions” and “macro-aggression” for being mixed race. These included a noose being put up in his family’s garage when he was 13 years old.
When asked by journalist Paul Brannigan about his earliest experiences with racism, Morello answers: “It was in the playground, really early. I always knew that I was different. There was passive-aggressive racism from other kids, born out of innocent ignorance.
“But there was really mean stuff too: hearing the ‘n’ word was not uncommon, and when I was 13 years old, a noose was put in my family’s garage. Libertyville was this kind of bucolic, charming Chicago suburb on the one hand, but there was a sort of underpinning of real fear.” Brannigan then asks Morello if he ever felt truly threatened by the racist treatment he received.
“Sure,” the guitarist replies. “I mean, looking back on it, it’s just your life in a way, but there was this background static. Every day there was the possibility of what are now known as micro-aggressions, and sometimes macro-aggression.
” Morello continues by explaining how prejudice even impacted his early love life. “And then you get to dating age, and it becomes very sharp. I’d be standing on a doorstep waiting to go out on a date, .