MISPLACED CAJUN PRIDE?

With regard to the epithet “coonass” used in the recent article [OffBeat, February 2001] “Coonass Mardi Gras,” we submit to you the following:

1. Complaint

The most insulting and derogatory term levied against Acadians is the term “coonass.” This insulting slang was never a proud or complimentary term affixed to the Acadian people; we will not tolerate the use of this racial slur which has pejorative connotations.

2. Slang’s Genesis

Although the slang’s genesis is unknown, the word “coonass” has existed since at least the early 1940s, according to historian Shane K. Bernard. Not until the rise of a national ethnic pride and empowerment movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, did the Cajun people, led by former U.S. Congressman and Jimmy Domengeaux, the first president of CODOFIL, finally speak out against the use of this ethnic slur. Since then, many Cajuns have been successful in discouraging the term’s use, both by non-Cajuns and fellow Cajuns alike.

Domengeaux, for instance, assisted Calvin J. Roach, a Cajun from Acadia Parish, Louisiana, to file suite against a former employer after being terminated allegedly for protesting his superiors’ use of the pejorative “coonass.” Known as Roach v. Dresser Industrial Valve and Instrument Division (1980), the case resulted in a federal judge declaring Cajuns a bona fide minority group protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This included protection from ethnic slurs like “coonass.”

Similarly, the term “coonass” may be a racially derogatory term if directed to, or perceived to be referring to, one of African-American descent. Example: In the case of Sherry S. Reid v. Hazel O’Leary, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy, Civil Action Number: 90-0401-GK, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the Plaintiff, Chief of the Nuclear and Fossil Branch at the U.S. Department of Energy, filed a civil action on March 1, 1996 pursuant to 42 U.S.C.§ 2000 et seq. And 1981 (a), alleging that she had been the victim of racial discrimination in the work place because she was presented with a certificate entitled “Temporary Coonass Certificate.” In support of her claim for damages, the Plaintiff, an African-American, submitted the testimony of Dr. John Staczek, Department of Linguistics, Georgetown University, who opined that the term “coonass” is a racially offensive and derogatory term (His sources: The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, 1991, page 213 and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd Edition, 1992, page 411 et al).

Further, Dr. Barry Ancelet, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has stated: “…I abhor the use of the term ‘coonass’… I have tried for many years to discourage its use, both by outsiders and insiders as well.”

Dr. Jim Dorman explains in his book, The People Called Cajuns: An Introduction to an Ethnoshistory (Lafayette: UL Lafayette Center for Louisiana Studies, 1983; page 87): “The term ‘coonass,’ originally a term of ethnic derision introduced by ‘outsiders’ to apply to Cajuns, is of uncertain linguistic origin. It may have been a racial allusion suggesting a Cajun-black genetic mixture. But it has come to be used by participants in the Cajun ethnic revival efforts (however informal) as a term of pungent if crude approbation and self-identification.”

3. Equality Ideal

First, the Acadians are entitled to “national origin’ protection under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; second, Section 1981, in view of its historical setting, affords protection to Acadians against invidious class-based discrimination; third, the “equal protection” clause was adopted to cure the evils of intentional discrimination against people on the basis of certain “suspect” classifications such as “race” and “national origin”; and, finally, under the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, Acadians were afforded every opportunity to fully develop their cultural heritage and are entitled to protection from “arbitrary and capricious classification.” (See: “Native Born Acadians and the Equality Idea,” La. Law Review, Vol. 46, No. 6, p. 1151).

4. Acadian Pride

During the post-World War II era, many Acadians experienced occupational and geographic mobility; these opportunities afforded Acadians the opportunity to fully integrate into the American socio-economic pattern. In 1968, the Council for the Development for French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) was created under the leadership of James Domengeaux. Currently, the pride in the Acadian culture is soaring; the future of the Acadian people is sound. One can feel this “born again” pride by observing and conversing with Acadians in the many South Louisiana cities and villages.

5. Senate Resolution

In 1981, by Senate Concurrent Resolution, the Louisiana Legislature condemned the use of the word “coonass.” The legislative body traced the slur’s infamous history and condemned the sale of any items containing the word.

6. Application to the Internet

Two recent developments send a clear message that Internet expression has its limits and may not be used as a medium for “hate speech:” Firstly, in February, 1999, a Portland civil jury returned a $107 million verdict against the operators of an Internet site, Nuremberg Files, finding that the site illegally incited hatred and violence. Secondly, the U.S. Congress passed the Child On-line Protection Act, an attempt at banning indecent and racially pejorative speech in cyberspace.

7. United States Supreme Court Decision

Rejecting a free-speech appeal from the nation’s second-largest car rental company, on May 22, 2000, the United States Supreme Court refused to let an Avis employee use ethnic epithets at his job. In Avis v. Aguilar, Docket Number 99-781 (United States Supreme Court, 2000) the justices left intact a ruling in which the California Supreme Court said an Avis manager who harassed co-workers with bigoted words could be ordered to stop using such language at work in the future. Further, Avis was ordered to pay $135,000 to each Hispanic employee who had been victimized by the pejorative term the Court said was not “constitutionally protected by fundamental free-speech guarantees under the Constitution.”

8. Request

The pride and morale of all ethnic groups is seriously wounded when reference is made in a derogatory fashion to denote their group. Therefore, we respectfully request that you refrain from engaging in the use and promotion of this slang. To continue to do so would be a violation of applicable federal and state laws and a personal affront to many people of Louisiana.

Hoping the enclosed information may be enlightening to you, I remain, Sincèrement.

—Warren A. Perin,

Prèsident, Conseil pour le Développement du Français en Louisiane (CODOFIL), Lafayette, LA

We remember a visit, 22 years ago, to friends of friends who lived in Cut Off, Louisiana. When asked of their ethnic background, they replied, “We are coonasses.” The response was said with a great deal of pride. The lesson we now learn is that this pride was misplaced, and as such, OffBeat will refrain from its use.-Ed

BURNT

Just wondering: why do big-time jazz artists like Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Joe Lovano and James Carter appear at festivals all over the globe but never come to Jazz Fest? Also, does Quint Davis have some beef with Paul Cebar? He comes down from Milwaukee every year for Fest but only gets to play at the clubs, rarely at the Fair Grounds. The one year he did get to play, he burned! Any idea?

Keep up the good work!

— Chris Caire, New Orleans, LA

HOUSEWORK

While we were impressed to learn that our recent CD was reviewed by your mag, we found it typical that half of the content was false.

All of our press releases come with phone numbers—so that if you have any questions?? Just pick up the phone and call us instead of making things up.

The CD’s OffBeat received were “For Promotional Use Only” attached with a memo explaining several of the songs would not be on the real CD. To no surprise, the songs most frequently referred to were the ones marked not on CD!

Was the memo lost? Even so, this obviously was not going to be the CD for the public.

I am just confused by the lack of effort on the part of your magazine???

And the suggestions about us being “corporate.” We are four musicians, one manager, and one lawyer who come from New Orleans and happen to have their shit together. In any other city we are congratulated for this—forward thinking.

But by OffBeat we are mocked? What a joke! A state subsidized magazine—this is business also!

Typical backwards New Orleans thinking. Have a nice day and Keep up the Good Work.

— Billy Gaudin, Tom’s House

Alex Rawls responds: Since that note, cooler heads have prevailed and many of the misunderstandings that fueled this note have been dealt with. I don’t recall seeing the memo that pointed out that Electric is Tom’s House’s third album, not their second, and the “Saints Mix” is not on the commercially-available version of the album, but that doesn’t mean the memo wasn’t sent. My apologies to Tom’s House for the errors. What Gaudin apparently didn’t know is that most CDs sent to reviewers and radio stations come stamped, “For Promotional Use Only,” and most of those are the same as the commercially-available version; therefore, the designation didn’t signal to me what he hoped it would.

By the way, OffBeat is not state-subsidized. OffBeat has always been a private business and it will remain that way. We are not “subsidized” by anyone other than advertisers and subscribers, and our editorial policies have nothing to do with financial issues.—Ed.

IRVIN’S CONFIDENT

I remember getting a gig with Herbie Hancock when I was about 21 or 22-years-old. I thought all of my friends were going to congratulate me and send me on my way with their good graces. Well, no such luck. I lost most of those who I thought were my friends. That was actually my good luck, because friends who don’t support you when you are doing good are not your friends. I didn’t understand why so many people were now wishing bad things on me. Some of these people said that I changed when I got this high profile gig. No, I didn’t change they did. Irvin Mayfield is not arrogant or egotistical. He’s confident.

In the past some have said that Irvin had no talent or little, if any. I said your ears are blind and your mind’s deaf. I have seen talent rise from the pit to the pinnacle of success. One main ingredient to this rise is confidence.

You cannot innovate if you are a conformist; you cannot lead if you are always following. you can’t worry about what everyone else thinks about you. I know Irvin Mayfield. Irvin is my partner and brother. We lead a band together called Los Hombres Calientes.

If you knew the times Irvin has said to me Bill, I want to help the musicians in this city see a better day. I want to see them paid correctly. I want to see them in new cars and with great living conditions. This is the Irvin I know. Any of you out there who have something negative to say, say it to another negative type of individual, or better yet keep your negativity to yourself. This is just a suggestion.

If he fails, you applaud, if he succeeds, you cry foul play. Stop! Let’s help Irvin and all the young musicians in this city become great individuals. Let’s support them when they are right and when they are wrong. Let’s advise them.

I became Irvin’s friend and later his business partner because he proved himself worthy of the tasks confronting us. He has all the qualities of becoming a great leader and friend to the city of New Orleans, if not the world. And by the way, he’s also spoken to me of his great respect for Kermit and James. Irvin loves music and most of all this city called New Orleans. Don’t destroy his thirst for success, his need for attention or any of what you perceive to be arrogance. He is on his way, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.

A nicer, kinder person I have never met. He’s my bro and I love him like he is.

— Bill Summers, New Orleans, LA

SLY DEVILS

I just got my daily mail and imagine my surprise when I saw an issue of OffBeat in the pile of bills and junk mail. To most OffBeat subscribers this is not to unusual, but I just recently moved and in the shuffle failed to renew my subscription to OffBeat. Of course I was not expecting to see another issue until I got off my butt and renewed, but you sly devils at OffBeat took care of the hard part by not only sending me a FREE issue of your fine magazine, you also sweetened the deal by offering me three FREE CD’s (OffBeat Festival 2000, 2001 and a Putumayo sampler) should I decide to come back. Well I’m glad to let you know that immediately after I read the offer I wrote out a check for a two year subscription and dropped it right in the mail! Thank you people at OffBeat for making one of the finest music publications this music lover has ever read, and thank you for going the extra distance and caring enough to get my subscription back. Keep up the great work!

— Craig Young, Boynton Beach, FL

A NATIONAL TREASURE

Here I am, back in New York, watching the snow pour down from the skies. I’ve got a beer in one hand and OffBeat in the other and I’m dreaming back to Mardi Gras 2001. This was my 14th Mardi Gras and it just keeps getting better and better.

As thoughts of shoveling my driveway try to creep into my consciousness, I focus instead on the great time that I had in your town. I’m remembering Donna’s, drinking a “Rampart Rampage” and grooving to an amazing brass band made up in part of Marines on shore leave; hanging out at Pat O’Brien’s on a beautiful Monday afternoon, belting out old pop tunes with my buddies; watching the sun come out at the Ernst Café Bacchus Bash; drinking Pimms Cups at the Napoleon House; dancing to the songs on the jukebox at Jimani’s; catching Chief Smiley Ricks and Donald Harrison at Rosy’s Jazz Hall; hearing the Neville Brothers at House of Blues (and even getting a chance to go backstage and meet them!); sweating to the sounds of Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias at the Funky Butt; seeing the Indians on Washington and LaSalle on Mardi Gras day; and strolling around the Quarter, taking in the sights, sounds and, yes, even the smells of the biggest and best party in the world.

The New York Times recently had an article which stated that New Orleans would be hit particularly hard by a recession. And this magazine has monthly comments about the lack of support for the local musicians and the music business in general in this town. I just don’t get it. For the history, the uniqueness, the music and the wonderful people, New Orleans should be protected as a National Treasure.

Anyway, thank you for allowing me to escape once in a while into the pages of OffBeat and feel the rhythm of New Orleans. Can’t wait till I’m back home once again.

By the way, in Jonathan Tabak’s review of Keep It Rollin’: The Blues Piano Collection, he incorrectly quoted the “unforgettable line” from “All Around the World” by James Booker. The correct quote is: “If I don’t love you baby, grits ain’t groceries, eggs ain’t poultry’s, and Mona Lisa was a man.”

— Scott S. Levinson, Putnam Valley, New York

REINVENTING STEVE

I was in New Orleans last October and heard Mamou (the band) broke up and no one knew what happened to the leader, Steve Lafleur. Can you tell me if Mamou has resurfaced or if Steve Lafleur has reinvented himself in another musical venue? I’m coming to town again in April. It would be a great help, if anyone knows their whereabouts. They were so talented and fun to watch. Please help if you can.

— Barb Bell, Chicago, IL

Steve has a new CD out with Mark DeBasile—Live at the Tractor. Jonno Fishberg, also formerly of Mamou, plays on it extensively. We hear he is taking community classes at Delgado Community College but is not actively involved in gigs right now.—Ed.

TO THE POINT

I truly enjoyed your story last month in OffBeat about Al Johnson. It kind of hit home for me since I wrote a Carnival tune and haven’t made any money from it, nor is music my primary business.

But what I did enjoy most about the story was your questions got to the point and asked for information that I, as a subscription holder to OffBeat, would like to know.

Thanks for a great story.

—Tommy Tortorich, via email

EXASPERATED

I recently purchased the Rhino Records anthology, Alligator Stomp Volume 2, which I find very enjoyable. However, the CD liner notes fail to include any recording dates for the listed songs. I am trying to find out when the Balfa Bros. version of “Jolie Blonde” was recorded. Apparently, it was not included on either volume of their two-record anthology of traditional Cajun music. There is a recording of “Jolie Blonde” on Dewey Balfa’s Cajun Legend, but I don’t think this is the same version as the one on Alligator Stomp. I’ve searched all over the web and am totally exasperated. If someone at OffBeat could help me with this I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

— John Larsen, via email

“Jolie Blonde” is on the Balfa Brother’s New York Concerts, 1974 Swallow release. In the states, it is a cassette-only release but in England, Ace Records has reissued the album with some bonus tracks of the Sonet records.—Ed