A race activist referred to a historically black college’s marching band as “coons” for playing at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Tariq Nasheed, a black writer and activist, used a racist trope to describe Talladega College’s marching band.
“So the HBCU [historically black colleges and universities] Talladega College Marching Band has agreed to perform at the Trump inauguration…that’s interesting,” Nasheed wrote, adding a picture of a group of raccoons playing instruments.
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
So the HBCU Talladega College Marching Band has agreed to perform at the Trump inauguration.. That's interesting pic.twitter.com/Md7coDiHLC
— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) January 17, 2017
“Coons” has been commonly used as a slur for black people. It was usually used to describe a black person whose only purpose was to entertain white people.
The announcement of the band’s decision to play at the inauguration was met with a mix of outrage and support. Some alumni from the college protested the decision, while others have donated money to help send the band to the inauguration.
A GoFundMe page set up for the students raised over $300,00, a far cry from the original intent to raise only $75,000.
“We didn’t get into this for any political reasons,” the college’s President Billy Hawkins explained. “We think this will be a phenomenal experience for our students. They get a chance to perform in front of the whole world, on an international stage.”
Hurling racial insults is nothing new for Nasheed, who also goes by the names Tariq Elite, King Flex, and K-Flex. He tweeted a similarly offensive message to students at a South Carolina high school who staged a walkout to protest the wrongful firing of a white administrator. Tariq’s tweet contained a split image showing black students wearing shirts with slogans such as “Free Fields” (the name of the school employee) juxtaposed against a photo of slaves picking cotton.
This report, by Amber Randall, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
