The War and Treaty detail racist incident backstage at major American festival
American country duo, The War and Treaty, have detailed an alleged racist incident that occurred backstage at Coca-Cola Sips and Sounds Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
The festival, which took place on June 29th and June 30th, was headlined by Jon Pardi and Kelsea Ballerini. The War and Treaty took to the stage in Austin despite finding a cotton plant in their dressing room before their set, which understandably left the band, comprise of married couple Michael and Tanya Trotter, devastated.
Rather than stay silent following the incident, they have shared their experience and explained why they chose to still play the Coca-Cola Sips and Sounds Music Festival despite the event which they believe to be racially-motivated occurring.
“We all know what that means. We all know what that represents in this country to people that look like us,” Michael said of finding a cotton plant in their dressing room to The Hollywood Reporter.
While they didn’t say who had placed the plant in the dressing room, he said it made him feel “anger”, “disrespect” and “sadness”. Michael added of his military background and devotion to his 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.”
Although country is slowly becoming a more diverse genre, Michael is also aware that most acts on the line-up at the Coca-Cola Sips and Sounds Music Festival would never have to suffer the same indignation purely because of their skin colour. “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,” he said.
Following the show, they quickly “got out of there” and made it back to their hotel. Having spoke with their 12-year-old son, The War and Treaty were convinced to go public with the incident rather than stay silent. “He said that this is not the time to be quiet about it. He was very upset, and he understood exactly what it meant,” Michael said of their son’s reaction.
For Tanya, she said it “hits hard when you are a granddaughter of a sharecropper.” She also revealed that her grandfather bought the plantation that he once picked cotton on, and it remains home to her family members today.
Furthermore, Tanya stated that it is “beyond it just being about racism” and is now a safety issue for The War and Treaty going forward at similar music festivals, noting, “Anybody with melanin in their skin, you have to provide an environment of safety for them.”
In response, the festival told The Hollywood Reporter: “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 to assure them this was an honest mistake.”
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