*The Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival issued an apology to The War and Treaty, a Black country music duo after they discovered a cotton plant in their dressing room.
According to TheJasmineBrand, the group, consisting of husband-and-wife singer-songwriters Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, expressed sadness upon finding the plant ahead of their set at the Austin, Texas event.
Trotter Jr. said during an interview, “Anger is what I felt.”
He added, “Disrespect is what I felt. Sadness is what I felt. 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. continued, “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.”
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The War and Treaty contemplated leaving the festival but were persuaded by their 12-year-old son 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,” said Trotter Jr. “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.”
In a statement, the festival organizers claimed “there was no purposeful harm intended.”
“We are disheartened that the artists were ever uncomfortable at last weekend’s event. There was no purposeful harm intended, and we sincerely apologize,” the organizers said. “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 noted in the interview that she “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.”
She added, “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.”
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