Robert "Sonny" Carson

Robert "Sonny" Carson
Born Robert Carson
May 22, 1936
South Carolina
Died December 20, 2002(2002-12-20) (aged 66)
New York City, New York
Other names Sonny Carson, Mwlina Imiri Abubadika
Occupation Political activist
Known for The December 12th Movement, The Family Red Apple Boycott
Children 1

Robert "Sonny" Carson (also known as Mwlina Imiri Abubadika)[1] (May 22, 1936[2] — December 20, 2002), was a controversial activist and a community leader in Brooklyn. A black nationalist, Carson was mostly known for his political organizing, including many public demonstrations. He is also known for his autobiography, The Education of Sonny Carson (1972), which was made into a 1974 film. Carson is the father of hip-hop artist Professor X.

Biography

Robert Carson was born in 1936 in South Carolina, but moved to Brooklyn as a child.[3] In his youth, Carson joined a street gang called the Bishops. Carson was arrested after robbing a Western Union messenger and was sent to a juvenile-detention center.[4]

Carson fought in the Korean War with the 82nd Airborne Division,[5] where he claimed to have met a Korean soldier who asked him, "Why would a black man fight for a country that would not let you drink from the same water fountain in Mississippi?"[3] This pivotal question led Carson to become a black activist after returning to civilian life.

Following his return to civilian life, Carson, for a period of time, began a life of illegal activity. He began selling drugs, ran illegal gambling, and committed muggings. However, Carson eventually began working for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and by 1967 he was the executive director of the Brooklyn CORE.[6] However, Carson broke from the organization in 1968, stating that it had not done enough to help African-Americans.[4]

Carson's later founded a group called the Committee to Honor Black Heroes.[4]

Kidnapping conviction

In 1974, Carson was convicted on kidnapping charges. Carson was incarcerated for 15 months in the Sing Sing prison.[4]

Advocate against drug use

In the 1980s Carson became an advocate against drug use,[4] founding a group called "Black Men's Movement Against Crack".[7]

Protesting police brutality

In the 1980s, Carson organized a number of demonstrations protesting police brutality.[4]

Controversies

Carson organized the controversial Family Red Apple boycott of Korean-American owned stores in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn in 1990.[8] He was also involved in the 1991 Crown Heights riot.[9] Carson fared poorly in the mainstream press for his racially discriminatory comments.

Family Red Apple boycott

Carson took a central role in organizing the Family Red Apple boycott, also known as the Flatbush boycott. Carson was investigated by the FBI, under the suspicion that he violated the civil rights of the Korean shopkeepers.[10]

"Antiwhite"

Carson was charged by his critics for being anti-Semitic. Carson responded, "That's absolutely absurd, 'anti-Semitic.' And so that you don't ask the question, I'm antiwhite. Don't limit my antis to just one group of people."[4]

Protest philosophy

Carson's political tactics often involved the use of public protest. His protest philosophy considered distrupting social order to draw attention to the plight of African-Americans. Several of Carson's protests turned violent. In an interview with The New York Times in 1987, Carson said: "You don't give us any justice, then there ain't going to be no peace. We're going to use whatever means necessary to make sure that everyone is disrupted in their normal life."[4]

The Dinkins campaign

Carson was the subject of media scrutiny in 1989, following speculations that the Dinkins mayoral campaign provided payments to Carson. The purpose of the payments was claimed to be either for a "get out of vote" drive organized by Carson, or, as critics maintained, for the assurance that Carson would refrain from staging protests during the campaign. Carson denied keeping campaign funds.[4][11]

David Dinkins released a statement apologizing for involving Carson in his campaign. Following one of Carson's "Anti-White" statements, Dinkins released a public statement critical of Carson stating: "Sonny Carson's comment represents the kind of bigotry and intolerance I utterly reject and have fought against my whole life. Had such comments come to my attention, he never would have played a role in my campaign."[11]

References

  1. ↑ Amazon.com page on the book "The Education of Sonny Carson
  2. ↑ Sonny Carson, 66, Figure in 60's Battle for Schools, Dies
  3. 1 2 Happy Physical Day, Abubadika Sonny Carson
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sonny Carson Dies. The New York Times. Accessed March 1, 2014.
  5. ↑ Sonny Carson Dies
  6. ↑ Sonny Carson and the Politics of Protest
  7. ↑ Village Voice: Sonny Carson Dies. December 31, 2002.
  8. ↑ Sonny Carson, Koreans, and Racism. The New York Times. Accessed March 10, 2014.
  9. ↑ Ari Goldman, The Region: as blacks clash with Hasidic Jews. The New York Times. Accessed March 10, 2014.
  10. ↑ Kim, Claire Jean. Bitter Fruit: The Politics of Black-Korean Conflict in New York City. Yale University Press. Accessed March 10, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Dinkins Worker Says he used Campaign money in Vote Effort. The New York Times. Accessed March 10, 2014.
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