Country Duo, “The War and Treaty” opens up about receiving a cotton plant in the dressing room. The incident happened ahead of their performance at the Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival.
The husband and wife duo, Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, recently spoke about it in an interview. “Anger is what I felt. Disrespect is what I felt. Sadness is what I felt,” Michael Trotter Jr. said.
He continued, “Sadness not just because of what that plant represents to people that look like me but sadness for myself because I am a son of this country. I served this country honorably in the United States Army 16th Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. I’m wounded for that service. I’m very vocal about my wounds and my scars, and I felt betrayed.”
Trotter Jr. added that this incident isn’t something that his fellow white Country singers have to worry about.
“It’s not fair. It’s something that white artists don’t have to worry about at all. It just happens to come through the bowels of this genre. So, I feel that it’s not enough for us to talk about it, we have to demand that we be about it.”
According to reports, the duo wanted to leave the festival, however, their 12-year-old son encouraged them to stay and perform. “He said that this is not the time to be quiet about it. He was very upset, and he understood exactly what it meant. He’s home-schooled, and he knows what that means, and he doesn’t know what it means because Ty and I have sat down and drilled it in his head,” Trotter Jr., shared.
Organizers of the festival have released a statement apologizing for the incident. “We are disheartened that the artists were ever uncomfortable at last weekend’s event. There was no purposeful harm intended, and we sincerely apologize. Their concern was met with immediate action, including a heartfelt in-person apology, removal of the decor, and a personal conversation with the artists by event organizers.”
Tanya Trotter added, “I didn’t want to sit in there and educate because it’s not my position to educate anybody on what cotton is and what it represents in this country. It just shouldn’t happen. Beyond it just being about racism, it’s broader now. It’s now a safety issue because we have to feel safe coming to these festivals.”