Just Us/Kwame Salter
The Rise of Black Coons and The Myth of Black Political Unity
"Remember, new levels bring new devils.”---Steve Maraboli
There is a sense among both black and white Americans that Blacks are a unified bloc of people agreeing on every issue that impacts their community. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fact is that Black people are as internally diverse in their thinking, actions and political affiliation as any other ethnic group in America. Since the inception of forced bondage (slavery), a Black person has been denied the right to be an individual. Consequently, when an individual Black person steps out of line and articulates a perspective that appears to be self-serving and detrimental to our collective advancement, we appear shocked and bewildered. Seeing the number of so-called Black celebrities and entertainers flocking to get some face time with one of the most overtly racist POTUS ever, we are dismayed and angry.
We see these folks as betraying the Black community efforts to gain respect and political leverage. Today, instead of referring to these folks as “Uncle Toms” (by the way, the literary Uncle Tom was wrongfully interpreted), we call them ‘’Coons.” Ironically, these “Coons” have massively benefited from our struggles and resistance — case in point would be Clarence Thomas.
While the term ‘Coon’ has gained legitimacy as a cultural put down, history shows us that before the emergence of today’s Coon, we used other terms like “handkerchief heads, house niggers, and sellouts.” These terms suggest that today’s “Coon” is yesterday’s “house nigger.”
The sad reality is that for every successful strike against institutional/societal racism, we created opportunities for these “Coons” to partake in the so-called American Dream. Once these “Coons” get their leg up, they forget and turn against the movement that allowed them to unleash their potential. “Coons” serve institutional racism by claiming that America’s socio/political landscape is a ‘level playing field.’ In other words, what they are saying is “I don’t know about you, but Massa has been good to me.”
Now, for the record, not all “Coons” are entertainers, athletes or political actors. Some “Coons” are family members, friends and work associates. They wait for the Black activists and resistors to shake the tree of societal racism, and they scurry to pick up the fruits of our labor.
While the benefits of the civil rights struggle go to every American, it is the Black Community, writ large, that feels the positive impacts most directly. Why then do “Coons” feel that it’s imperative to trash the movement that bolstered both their lives and careers?
The answer is obvious. They believe that casting their lot with the “white man” is the deft and smartest move. However, this need for white adjacency drives them back into the machinery of a well-oiled institutionally racist society. Like the ‘house nigger’ of yore, today’s “Coon” accepts the invitation to betray their roots as a way (1) to be viewed as unique and special and (2) to be privileged enough to have dinner at the Massa’s table while being served by other less fortunate Blacks. What they seek is to be viewed as individuals in a society that sees only their hue and cares little about their view — unless that view reinforces the majority white point of view that racism is a fake issue.
The good news is that racism is so deep-seeded in America’s psyche that they still need our activism and resistance. White racists use these “Coons” as props and counterpoints to our demand for full citizenship. The sad reality for these “Coons” is that neither the majority of white nor Black folks have any respect for them.