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.

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.

[dcquiz] 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.”

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