War and treaty lead to discovery of cotton plant in music festival dressing room

When Michael Trotter Jr. and woman Tanya Trotter They went to perform at the Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and were greeted by a cotton plant in their dressing room.

“We all know what that means,” Michael said. The Hollywood Reporter “We all know what it means in this country for people who look like us. I felt anger, disrespect and sadness,” he said.

Michael and Tanya, 46, who perform under the name The War and Treaty, did not reveal who left the cotton plant — a symbol of slavery since many black people were forced to work in the cotton fields before emancipation in the United States — in their dressing room. They also performed at the festival as planned after the couple, married since 2010, had a conversation with their son, Legend, about the incident.

“When I demanded that we quickly leave this festival and get out of here, Tanya and I had a moment in our hotel room where we wanted to address our son, Legend, who is 12, and he ended up addressing us,” Michael said. “He said this is not the time to be quiet about this. He was very upset, and he understood exactly what that meant. He’s homeschooled, and he knows what that means, but he doesn’t know what it means because (Tanya) and I sat down and pounded on his head.”

Michael felt particularly “betrayed” that a cotton plant was left in the lodge.

“I am sad not only because of what this plant represents to people who look like me, but also for myself, because I am a son of this country. I served this country honorably in the United States Army’s 16th Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division,” Michael said. THR“I am hurt by this service. I am very open about my injuries and my scars. (…) It’s not fair. It’s something that white artists don’t have to worry about at all.”

For Tanya, the incident particularly “touched” her as “the granddaughter of a sharecropper.”

“My grandfather bought the plantation where he picked cotton in New Bern, North Carolina. My family still lives there,” Tanya said. “So when you see these things, you look at them and you think, ‘Wow, even though my grandfather bought the plantation, there’s still a lot of pain for people who didn’t have the opportunity to turn it into economic development for their families.’”

She added: “This just shouldn’t be happening. Beyond racism, it’s now a bigger issue. It’s now a safety issue, because we need to feel safe coming to these festivals.”

Tanya also stressed that music festivals must “be safe” for people of color to attend performances and come be entertained.

“That’s the position I take as we move toward this genre and the spaces are expanding, not just for us, but for everyone,” she said. “Anyone who has melanin in their skin should be able to feel safe.”

The Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival has not publicly addressed the incident in the Trotters’ locker room. We Weekly has contacted for comment.