Charles Koen (1945-??), also known as Chuck Koen: a civil-rights activist, Koen worked with organizations in Southern Illinois during the mid- and late 1960s. He founded the Black Liberators in St. Louis, Missouri in 1968; he later went on to lead nationally noted campaigns in Cairo, Illinois. During his Cairo struggles, Koen was honored with a tribute on an album by jazz drummer Max Roach.