When Metallica released the Black Album in 1991, they paved the way for people of all walks to fall in love with metal. Today, they're paving the way for people of all walks to have a better life and legacy through their All Within My Hands Foundation. The band's 501(c) non-profit recently announced another $3 million pledge to its Metallica Scholars Initiative, money for community colleges to support and strengthen trade education.
What started seven years ago as a $1 million gift split between 10 community colleges has grown into a presence in all 50 states, plus Guam. Ten thousand Metallica Scholars (75 colleges) this year alone are benefitting from the Initiative.
When we launched the Metallica Scholars Initiative, it really spoke to me. A collective goal of breaking the stigma of trade skills. Trade skills are vital to society, and what's even more important is to support the folks who are trying to create a career by learning and using these skills.
—James Hetfield, lead vocalist
The shift in manufacturing moving from the Rust Belt to overseas plants and the economic void being filled by the service industry caused the trades to suffer a significant blow in employment. With reduced demand, the path to trade skills became less relevant and pursued. Thanks to President Trump's tariff strategy, blue-collar jobs will return to the United States, and it's crucial that we have a skilled workforce ready to fill them.
Darah, a graduate of Polk State Corporate College in Florida, grew up in a single-parent home and knew she had to become financially independent shortly after graduating high school. Following the cultural expectation that the only way to make something of yourself in America is to go to university, Darah realized very early on that this route was not only untenable financially, but also nurturing her passion. Thanks to the Metallica Scholars Initiative, she earned six certificates and became a highly sought-after candidate.
I was a student working full-time in fast food. There was no way I was going to do years of that. In four months I went from not knowing anything about being a machinist to having a high-paying job in the field. I'm making money doing something I enjoy and learning new skill sets every day that I can take with me anywhere.
Metallica covers all overhead costs associated with the Foundation, so every penny donated goes directly to the mission. As someone who has worked with non-profits for years, this is a unique and beautiful attribute for a donor; most of the time, more than 10% of a monetary gift to a reputable charity goes to rent, salaries, printing, and promotion.
Per the All Within My Hands Foundation 2024 annual report, Metallica Scholars "received financial support in over 40 career and technical programs, ranging from health care to HVAC and automotive to aeronautics." Brands like Carhartt, Lowe's, and Wolverine have recognized Metallica's positive influence and hitched their wagons to the train.
Mark Polst at Consequence pointed to a fascinating statistic: Metallica Scholars earn more than "eight times their program cost in the first year after graduation..." Considering that nearly 43 million graduates carried an average of $38,375 each in federal debt in 2024, it is vital to our economy (today and in the future) that we make trades a credible option for high school students.
School funding removed from classrooms to provide plush administrative offices has eliminated shop and home economics, so students are not even exposed to what is possible in the trades. School counselors, products of master's or doctorate programs themselves, are the primary source for career options in high school; we can only guess how often county-level education comes up. ????
As conservatives talk about making America great again, trades have to be a part of that plan. We have seen Brooke Rollins take aim at supporting farmers and RKF, Jr., work to Make America Healthy Again; the Trump administration is clawing back transportation, education, and consumer prices. That being celebrated, as conservatives, we also have to celebrate the private sector victories because Uncle Sam should not be everyone's Daddy. Metallica's quiet commitment to the American Dream is as inspiring as the music itself.
It is fascinating to consider how four musicians got to be so passionate about the trades. All I have to say is WORLD TOUR. Metallica tours a lot, and it's the trades that keep the shows up and running. Electricians, welders, sound and pyro technicians, heavy machine operators, truck drivers, light designers, carpenters, set construction, elevators — they are the unsung heroes that make the band look and sound amazing, the reason people pay hundreds of dollars for a ticket to experience the music. Performers supporting the trades are a natural fit.
Metallica started in October 1981 and cultivated a global following in the decades since. If you haven't considered Metallica before, I encourage you to do so today. Give it a chance! You probably won't have the same reaction as a junior in high school whose first exposure was a not-terrible performance of "Enter Sandman" at the annual talent show, but maybe a tiny bit of your musical soul will appreciate the greatest metal band of all time, at least in my opinion.
"Don't Tread on Me" (Metallica, "Black Album," 1991)
"All Within My Hands" (Metallica, "St. Anger," 2003)
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