So I just asked my very white very likes to disagree with me on EVERYTHING boyfriend what he thought the word plantation meant. He says “that’s where the slaves worked, right?”
nevermind he used the word “worked”, but just goes to show you what the word plantation is associated with.
I could not agree with you more. Locally, I was a supporting member of two peaceful protests for black lives matter. One of my best friends is black. We grew up together. He has had such a hard time with his white friends telling him to do this and to do that. He is also Libertarian, but leans pretty right on some political topics. The amount of abuse I’ve watch him endure over the last several months has absolutely gutted me. White people, who have NO idea what his life experiences are, have been telling him about himself. He was married to a white woman. They are now divorced. Another white woman told him to stop dating white women because white women only date black men because they want something. She went on to say it is impossible for a white person to love a black person. Keep him mind, his DAUGHTERS are half white. Could you imagine? The rest of us watched this play out on FB until he finally blocked her. He’s had to block quite a few people over the last few weeks. From what I’ve seen, most have been white women who think it is their job to educate him on racism.
White people need to ASK what can we do to HELP POC, not made decisions for them and or tell them what to think/do. We need to be their allies, but it needs to start in our hearts, our homes, and our businesses.
Have you been to Plantation Field? Do you know the extensive history of the Chester County area? Do you understand Quakers and their beliefs? Have you read a thing that has been posted about the history of this farm? Do you understand that the definition of “plantation” does not necessarily refer to a farm in the South worked by slaves?
You are not as woke as you think you are, and your condescending comments make you look bad.
Why don’t you just go through the dictionary and gives us a list of words that can no longer be used?
The entire point just flew over your head didn’t it? I encourage you to go back and read. The name is a ode to slavery and needs to change. As I previously said, words have meaning. Plantation is deeply associated with slavery and not only in the states.
I’ve known him since 1990. There’s no route that could have been taken to get him to agree to a name change with the reasons stated, culture awareness, 2020 etc.
The only path through would have been to circumvent Denis and go through the landowner/board members. And even that would have been highly doubtful.
Best best path would have been to go through folks the board holds dear, riders and fellow landowners/wealthy white folks.
But overall, any way you cut it would have been a major up hill slog.
Em
We’re not woke enough and she’s been woke since like, June, so come ON already. Time for your daily woke-dose!
Someone lit up EN on FB with a bunch of links to articles and such about pine plantations. It would be funny if the reality weren’t so sad.
Do you understand that slavery is associated with the word Plantation? Your ignorance makes you look bad.
And ignorance is the nicest word possible I could come up with.
Nothing went over my head, but it sure went over yours. There were no plantations owning slaves in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The word “plantation” does not just mean what you assume it means.
Sadly, one word just lost many underprivileged kids from Philadelphia a chance to enjoy horses. Did that go over your head?
So … to look at slightly more complete picture of the objections of property owner Mr. Cuyler Walker to considering if the name “Plantation Fields” still works as the name of the event … an event that he claims to leave in the hands of the organizer, so not sure why he would care what the event calls itself … and if the event changed its name, that wouldn’t necessarily have to affect the name of the farm which otherwise many people would never know …
First of all, if the event is about 20 years old, then the name “Plantation” was selected in the era of the late 1990’s - early 2000’s. Why didn’t someone ask the question then? That was well into the period when “plantation” was in social discussion as to objectionable connotations. How did an event that intended to become large and public miss on that? But anyway, that’s the name that someone wanted, either oblivious or indifferent to the possible larger implications.
Now, Mr. Cuyler Walker feels that the question about the name “Plantation” implies that he and his family are racist. So to show that he will not tolerate this implication, he shuts it all down.
What he (apparently) did not do: Contact some of his friends and connections who are black and ask for their thoughts on the matter. Gather the opinions of black people (who are the most directly concerned) from both within Unionville who do know the property’s history, and from outside the community who do not know the history.
What he (apparently) also did not do: Having considered where society generally and POC specifically are going on these issues, decided to take the opportunity to bring in the local history in a positive and uplifting way. A new name that invokes the underground railroad, or Unionville, or journey to freedom, or something like that. Maybe, with the community’s guidance and help, put together a big outdoor plaque to be erected in a public area of the event, describing the local history and even pointing visitors to guided tours of underground railroad sites. Do all this with fanfare and inclusiveness. With positive spirit, enthusiasm - and pride.
Opportunities missed! By Mr. Cuyler Walker. And by Mr. Denis Glaccum, event organizer, who has a share in this, don’t know how much. Would guess that some or all of this was probably suggested by someone, at some point, because it is the idea that naturally occurs in this situation.
Instead, Mr. Walker refers to the inner city riding program, without explaining quite what it has to do with the event. Does the event benefit the program? Not sure. If not, it seems that he is trying to show his connection to the black community. But in doing so he categorizes, implies, that black people are “inner city”, disadvantaged, and need to “learn responsibility” (I know, it’s youth and learning responsibility would do all youth some good). Context is everything here – in the context of the youth program, all that sounds great, but in the context of a 4* event, this could be problematic if it is the only connection to POC. How else are POC being welcomed to ride and participate in the “Plantation Fields” horse trials?
Then as a flag-on-a-hill for his family’s principals, he invokes the Boy Scouts. And how involved his family has been in its support of the Boy Scouts for many, many decades.
Somehow supporting the Boy Scouts for lo these many decades has something to do with the equestrian media questioning of the name of the horse trials, and why the horse trials should be dropped into a volcano rather than consider a name change to something other than “Plantation”.
Oh, lordy lordy lordy.
The Boy Scouts have a very troubled history when it comes to racism and inclusion generally. It was founded for and for most of its existence it has primarily catered to white middle-class and upper-middle-class boys in suburban communities. I remember vividly in my home town the struggle to include a broader racial group of scouts. Integrating the schools was easey-peasey compared with integrating the Boy Scouts. (The Girls Scouts did it in my town with little fanfare or issues.)
In the early 2000’s, in the general timeframe of the organization of this event, the Boy Scouts won a Supreme Court victory allowing them to continue to exclude gays, even though several of their own chapters objected vociferously to the ban. Click on the article in the link so that it becomes larger and readable for some explosive descriptions of the inner turmoil of the Boy Scouts.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/40441392
From the founding in the early 1900’s the organization was openly racist. In my youth, in my town, it was easily the least racially inclusive youth organization other than those openly dedicated to white supremacy (we had a couple of those).
https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/01/christopher-hitchens-on-the-mildly-fascist-founder-of-the-boy-scouts/272683/
In recent years the Boy Scouts have made sweeping changes for inclusion. As of 2020 they announced a new merit badge in support of Black Lives Matter, and some requirements to be sure that their members are getting with this program.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/us/boy-scouts-diversity-inclusion-eagle.html
Does everyone know the particular history of the Boy Scouts and Mr. Cuyler Walker? Or of the name “Plantation Field”? No they do not, and how could they. To the larger public perception, those local, personal details will never reach them. They will ever only know the larger societal connotations.
Perception is everything, but Mr. Walker and Mr. Glaccum don’t seem to get that. So now they don’t have an event any more because one or both of them would rather torch it than evolve.
Anyway. Now that EN has been turned inside out and raked over the coals by those who are just fine with the name “Plantation”, I wonder if the same people are willing to take a harder look at WHY Mr. Cuyler Walker gave the reasons he did for his decision. If he’s going to go front & center with this thing, turning eventing upside down and all, then some accountability needs to go his way, as well. And Mr. Glaccum as well. Why “Plantation”, why did he (they) not bring some POC into his decision, why? Just IMO.
You answered none of the questions in the original post.
And thank you for your judgement of my ignorance. I guess I’d be hurt if it actually mattered.
The answers to those questions are irrelevant…plantation is associated with slavery, the end. Why this is even up for debate is mind boggling to me.
In your mind…
Oh give me a ****ing break. Yes only in my mind is the word plantation associated with slavery. How dense you must be.
The level of name calling does not make either side look good here.
No, it didn’t.
One cantankerous individual did that. On his own.
(Apparently on his own, from the info so far.)
And the word is not just a word like any other word. It has societal meaning that goes far beyond what it means to you. Or to Cuyler Walker and Denis Glaccum.
No, it didn’t.
One cantankerous individual did that. On his own.
(Apparently on his own, from the info so far.)
And the word is not just a word like any other word. It has societal meaning that goes far beyond what it means to you. Or to Cuyler Walker and Denis Glaccum.
Does anyone else find the repeated reference to “blacks” in this editorial (as opposed to black people or POC) incredibly cringey?
I am not a huge fan of EN and have always viewed them as a glorified fan blog. As a significant news source in the industry their contributions to journalism on issues like safe course design, rider/horse fatalities and outright horse abuse (namely, ML) have been at best underwhelming. I think the people who say they jumped at a chance to signal virtue are probably correct.
Even so, that doesn’t mean EN is wrong in trying to find a mutually-agreeable way for THEIR outlet to skirt around use of the “Plantation” name. I think it’s pretty clear at this point that the organizer and landowner massively overreacted and had no intention of ever discussing it or taking EN’s concern seriously. The cancellation of the event says a hell of a lot more about them than EN.
No, I understand the background of this particular piece of property and the area around it.
It would be nice if you refrained from name calling.
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