Carmen DeBerry is a newly minted commercial delivery driver from Baltimore, Maryland. She says her new job has completely changed her life. “It’s an amazing feeling,” she said. “You know, I take care of my daughter, and I also take care of my mother.”
A commercial driver's license like the one DeBerry got from Baltimore County Community College can cost up to $7,500, money she didn't have, and that's where four unlikely guys from the Bay Area got involved.
Yes, we're talking about the guys from Metallica, one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, with over 180 million records sold. “I mean, to be honest, when I first signed up, I didn’t know it was through Metallica; they just called it a scholarship,” DeBerry said.
The Metallica scholarship, to be precise, is part of the band's more than $10 million in charitable donations. Everything is in my hands made donations to workforce training, mostly in the form of grants through vocational schools and community colleges.
“Not everyone is cut out for college, and not everyone needs college,” said Metallica lead singer James Hetfield. And he should know; he's the son of a truck driver himself, and he hasn't forgotten that.
“That was very evident during COVID when we couldn’t go out and do our thing,” Hatfield said. “But the plumber, the electrician, the truck driver, the people who were supposed to keep America alive were there. And thank God for them. You know, I think the next millionaires will be traders.”
“We all started, I mean, pretty humble,” said Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, who worked in construction before becoming a professional musician. “At some point you realize, like, hey, you know, we’re selling tickets, we’re doing well, the ship isn’t sinking. What can we do to make people's lives better?”
The group's philanthropy actually began with a simple question: what to do with leftover food backstage at the sports arenas and stadiums where they performed. They started donating them to local food banks; they then began donating sizable checks to these food banks as well, which turned into disaster relief.
“It was a little tough for us because one of the first things that happened, maybe in 2017, was the fires in Northern California, which affected so many people in the Bay Area,” guitarist Kirk Hammett said. When disaster struck in the band's backyard, he says that's when it hit home: “And we were able to, like, jump in and really help people right off the bat. There were other cases where there were earthquakes, you know, disasters, people needed food and medicine. This”.
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But actually talking about your charity work in public? “It didn't come easy,” says drummer Lars Ulrich. “We never shouted it from the rooftops,” he said. “I think instinctively you just want to help. I mean, we all depend on each other – you know, if you really want to ruin everything then leave, people are herd animals and really thrive, you know, the herd works better when everyone is doing well.”
So, if all of this doesn't sound very Metallica-esque, well, in a way, the same could be said for the annual fundraising concert they put on in Los Angeles. The company raised $3.5 million last year and attracted some big Metallica fans, like Aquaman himself Jason Momoa. “They were kind of the soundtrack of my life, man. I probably discovered them when I was ten years old. And I think these are your heroes. These are my heroes.”
It may come as a surprise that a band with songs like “Nothing Else Matters” and “Seek and Destroy” spends so much time thinking about how to make other people's lives better. But for Hetfield, it's a thought process that comes with age.
“It seems clearer that we have a goal,” he said. “And that goal is to bring joy to people on this planet, and it still haunts me to this day that three generations, you know, love The Puppet Master.” Really? Do you like this song? Fine! This was written when I was 22 and I was angry. But aside from what we've done in the music field, as you get older you start to see the world in a different light, you know? My philosophy is: you go up to the next level of a high-rise building. And the older you get, the better you see the world, and what you can see, and how you can be useful. And this is definitely one of them.”
Hetfield had never met the Metallica aficionado before, but that all changed backstage before a show in Landover, Maryland, when a very appreciative Carmen DeBerry stopped by. “I really think your scholarship, what I told them about your scholarship, is what allowed me to get the job,” she told Hatfield. “Because as soon as I told them I got the Metallica scholarship, they were like: Whaaat? I got in and they took a chance on me. And I appreciate it.”
“Let's!” Hatfield responded.
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I asked, “You're going to go out and play in front of thousands and thousands of people, and yet you just had a moment to talk to someone whose life has been significantly changed by the charity All Within My Hands. What does it look like?
Hetfield responded: “This is so amazing. We will be able to make some people smile and do some good by playing the songs that saved us in our lives. And then create a foundation that gives back to, you know, blue collar America? We have to move away from the thousands that make a lot of noise and we know we have an impact, but to have a one-on-one, you know, heart-to-heart with someone whose life you changed, it changes mine.”
You can listen to Metallica's “72 Seasons” album by clicking on the embed below (a free Spotify registration is required to listen to the tracks in full):
This Giving Tuesday, December 2nd, the Metallica AWMH Foundation is partnering with longtime supporter Carhartt to help provide five million meals through Feeding America. Go to allwithinmyhands.org for more information.
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The story was produced by Anthony Laudato. Editor: Lauren Barnello.
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