BIG KOONERY: I fought ignorance... and ignorance is winning

One day back home in Florida I was taking my son to get a haircut and I saw a van parked in the barbershop’s parking lot plastered with the pictures of what I guessed to be a music artist. That wasn’t a big deal because I have seen vehicles like this before. What took me aback was that the name of the artist was Big Koon!!! I was floored. Koon? Really? White people are laughing right now. First it was nigger now we are adopting Koon? I looked him up on MySpace and sent him a message and referenced a time in the Civil Rights movement when Martin Luther King went to the White House and the American Nazis had signs that said “Kill Martin Luther Koon” written on the front. I urged him to reconsider his name and think about how this affects Blacks and hip-hop. Below is what he had to say. After that is my retort:

BIG KOON:
First of all, I am one who believes that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and at the same time I don't let other peoples' opinions of me dictate how I feel, what I do, or what i choose to be called. Lets face it we both know what opinions are like. But i do feel the need to address your opinion of me, as i see you have formed one without knowing anything about me, and you probably have never even taken the time to listen to the music. I am a young black father of 2 soon to be strong world changing young black men. I am the son of a strong black woman, and we come from a strong black family. Lillian Bryant, who has a park named after her outside of Happiness Homes, is my auntie...and she was a pillar in the Ocala community for many years. So contrary to what you may believe, I have a strong sense of family values, morals, and a true love and passion for the history, struggles and goals of our people. I am no angel and have never claimed to be perfect. I am guilty of "doing what I had to do" to provide for my family and myself...but at the same time I understand the need for change. So yes, I do consider myslef part of the problem as I'm sure you do as well, but i also see myself and other black males like me as a big part of the solution. Because it is one thing to talk about change, and express all the negative things wrong in the community, and another to actually take action leading by example and tongue, and see the positive potential in ourselves. Afterall, who would be better to reach young disenfranchised black males than older experienced, black men who have been down the same roads, and can not only understand where they're coming from, but can also lead them in the directions they need to go. Those are my intentions through music and song, and i do plan on implementing more positive communtiy activities for young people as soon I am given the means by God. Because in order to change the community the young people must change and adopt a stronger sense of pride and self worth. As far as the name Big Koon, i never thought people would see it as a negative label and read into it so deeply like I sent us back 100 years with a nickname. My Uncle Willard Brown's nickname was Coon, and everybody in my family felt we look and act alike so I was given the name as well. I am proud to have the same name and character as one of strong male patriarchs of our family. With all the wrong being done to our young black people from the Jena 6 to, God bless the dead, Martin Anderson, surely the last thing holdin us down and back is the nickname Big Koon. Besides I'm sure you have an Ace Boon Koon somewhere out there, and if not feel free to call me your Ace Boon Big Koon.

ME:
A few things and a few questions:
Interesting that you mention disenfranchisement because the reason Martin Luther King Jr. went to the White House was regarding the disenfranchisement of Black voters in the South. Since you mention that then I will assume you understand the systemic issues involving current legislation, felonies, voting and black men. With the voice you have in the community (what ever size it maybe), how are you informing men about disenfranchisement? Are your songs focused on delayed gratification? And not about continuing black people’s current statistic… Black people spend 60% of our income of depreciating items. Meaning we spend more money on things that don’t make us money it just makes us look like we have money. So are your songs talking about candy paint, money, and diamonds (which in reality are pretty worthless, not rare, and the practice of harvesting them are killing Africans, the movie Blood Diamond and Kayne West video on the subject are some nice visual references).

“I don't let other peoples' opinions of me dictate … what i choose to be called.”
Of course you do, that’s the reason you have your stage name. Somebody else thought you looked and acted like your uncle. You didn’t come up with you name by yourself.

You said that you “have a strong …passion for the history, struggles and goals of our people” but if you really did you would know where that name originally came from. You would also know that black people are notorious for self-degradation. We live in a Eurocentric society that tells us that we (black) people are less than equal. It may have been your uncle’s nickname but that doesn’t make it any less horrible. It is the word coon (or Koon) that has relegated black males into a position of ignorance in music and movies (see links below for examples). It was a type cast that personified childishness among other things. The very opposite of what you say you stand for. Historian Donald Bogle in his book “Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films” says “Before its death, the coon developed into the most blatantly degrading of all black stereotypes. The pure coons emerged as no-account niggers, those unreliable, crazy, lazy, subhuman creatures good for nothing more than eating watermelons, stealing chickens, shooting crap, or butchering the English language.” You say, “As far as the name Big Koon, I never thought people would see it as a negative label and read into it so deeply like I sent us back 100 years with a nickname.” Actually you are setting us back 100 year and even more so because it was over 100 year ago when white men called black men Big Koons. The coon caricature was born during American slavery. Slave masters and overseers often described slaves as "slow," "lazy," "wants pushing," "an eye servant," and "trifling" (see ferris.edu link). Also how can you say you never thought people would see it as a negative label? If you knew the history, our history, you would have known that wasn’t a good choice for a name. I think it is great that you are named after a good man in your family. But when people see the name Big Koon on the side of a van on a billboard or hear it coming out of someone’s mouth do you think they heard all that you say your uncle stood for?

Again with history, SNCC and the Black Panther Party (BPP) used the phrase “Black Power” talking about the empowerment of Black people. But it was many white people who didn’t understand what that meant and many didn’t care. Since it was so close to the phrase “white power” which is what the KKK the Arian Nation etc stated as they hung black men from trees, other white people thought SNCC and BPP were trying to get black people to start killing white people. You don’t get much of a chance to explain what your name means. It turns people who know their history off and it reminds white people that we are still in a place of ignorance.

Do you know your hip-hop history? For example do you know what Tupac Shakur’s name means? He was named after an Incan revolutionary. He mother was a member of the Black Panther Party…true revolutionaries. That is why he spoke on issues like police brutality, teen pregnancy etc. He knew is history. The very mention of a name like that will tell anyone who knows Central American history that this man is about something and knows something. What is you name saying to people? Especially people who don’t get to hear your music or hear your explanation but just hear your name?

You said, “I am a young black father of 2 soon to be strong world changing young black men. “ Why do you say soon to be world changing black man? You can make change right were you are. You are on the internet you have been on stage, don’t you have a CD? What are you doing with the notoriety you have right now? What are you doing to help the failing educational school system in our hometown of Ocala that your children are or soon will be apart of? Have you told your audiences about voting in the primaries and for local government? I don’t know where you live but my grandparents stay by Madison Street School. Did you know over there, in the black neighborhood, black people are paying more for electricity because the city won’t update the wiring but they did so in the white community? Why wont they, because many black people are too complacent. To busy worrying about rims on their car and new outfits.

You said, “I understand the need for change.” Then what are you doing to implement change?

You said, “… I do consider myself part of the problem as I'm sure you do as well, but i also see myself and other black males like me as a big part of the solution.” First you can't be a part of the problem and the solution. Then you aren't making any progress and you are just fighting yourself and going no where, I don’t consider myself the problem by any means please only speak for yourself. For example, I don’t purchase rap but I do buy hip-hop. Yes there is a difference. I listen to people who are talking about something. People aren’t talking about how much money they have or want to have all the time. I listen to people who are acknowledging the discrepancies in our legal, school systems, issues over seas and other things. For example, maybe you can check out, Lupe Fiasco and Dead Presidents (Dead Prez). Some main stream artists are Talib , Mos Def, some stuff from Andre 3000, Kanye West, and Common.

“Because it is one thing to talk about change, and express all the negative things wrong in the community, and another to actually take action leading by example ... and see the positive potential in ourselves.”
Well then how are you leading Ocala, leading your family, and representing black men? Did you know Marion County has one of the highest HIV rates? What are saying about that? What about the many single mothers and fathers not taking care of their children? How are you encouraging them to be better men? How are you empowering black women as you implied black women in your family have empowered you?

“After all, who would be better to reach young disenfranchised black males than older experienced, black men who have been down the same roads, and can not only understand where they're coming from, but can also lead them in the directions they need to go.”
What are you saying to them that is uplifting them and not just reminding them of where they are or that you have been where they have been?

“Those are my intentions through music and song, and i do plan on implementing more positive community activities for young people as soon I am given the means by God.”
You have means. Just do it. If you know your history. You would know a lot of the change came from grassroots organizations and local people. Poor people with little to no money making a difference. You don’t need money you just need to give you time and your voice.

“Because in order to change the community the young people must change and adopt a stronger sense of pride and self worth.”
Again, how are doing that?


“With all the wrong being done to our young black people from the Jena 6 to, God bless the dead, Martin Anderson, surely the last thing holding us down and back is the nickname Big Koon. “ If you knew your history, you would know its things like nicknames that continue to put black people in a terrible position in relation to the rest of the world.

It’s just so unfortunate that black men who have the capability to do better don’t. You are supposed to lead, but its women who have to continually step to the plate. Its so unfortunate that ever time someone sees your van, your posters, your CD’s , your name they don’t think of the man you say you are named after they see ignorance and another black man who doesn’t even know he's ignorance. I hope you get an awakening soon.

For more information on the history of Coon, the meaning of other artists names, hip-hop and other things you can try the links below:
http://www.zulunation.com/hip_hop_history_2.htm
http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/acs/1890s/ragmusic/music.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupac_Shakur#Early_life
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talib_Kweli
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_prez
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/coon/
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=coon
http://parlorsongs.com/insearch/coonsongs/coonsongs.asp