The war and the treaty: Cotton plant found in the dressing room of a music festival

When Michael Trotter Jr. and wife Tanja Trotter When they were about to perform at the Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival in Austin, Texas, they were greeted by a cotton plant in their dressing room.

“We all know what that means,” said Michael The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, July 3. “We all know what that means in this country for people who look like us. I felt anger. I felt disrespect. I felt sadness.”

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

“When I demanded that we leave the festival quickly and get out of there, Tanya and I were in our hotel room trying to talk to our 12-year-old son, Legend, and he finally spoke to us,” Michael said. “He said this is not the time to be silent about this. He was very upset and understood exactly what that meant. He’s homeschooled and knows what that means. And he doesn’t know what it means because (Tanya) and I sat down and drilled it into him.”

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War and Treaty singers Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter bring their love story to life every time they take the stage. The couple met in 2010 and soon married, but Michael initially thought he had blown his chance with his now-wife. “We started working and hanging out a little bit professionally. … (…)

Michael felt particularly “betrayed” by the fact that a cotton plant was left in the dressing room.

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

For Tanya, as the “granddaughter of a sharecropper,” the incident was a particularly “hard” blow.

“My grandfather bought the plantation in New Bern, North Carolina, where he grew cotton. My family still lives there,” Tanya said. “When you look at these things, you think, ‘Wow, even though my grandfather bought the plantation, there’s still a lot of suffering behind the people who didn’t get a chance to turn it into economic development for their families.'”

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When the nominations for the 66th Grammy Awards were announced in November, The War and Treaty weren’t exactly waiting impatiently for their names to be called – they were just trying to catch a plane. “We were so used to being overlooked year after year that we just didn’t pay attention,” said Michael Trotter Jr., one of the (…)

She continued: “This kind of thing just shouldn’t be happening. It’s not just about racism, it’s more comprehensive now. It’s a safety issue now because we need to feel safe when we come to these festivals.”

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

“That’s the position I take as we move into this genre and the spaces are expanding not just for us but for everyone,” she said. “Anyone with melanin in their skin needs to be provided a safe environment.”

The Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival has not publicly commented on the incident in the Trotters’ dressing room. We weekly has asked for a comment.