I was not planning on posting in this forum about PF’s cancellation (or anywhere) but I feel like this incident has spiraled out of control. I am a Black female Eventer in Area II and competed at PF last year. I loved every minute of it and had no personal injury with the name. I’m extremely upset that this is happening right now and that everyone is so angry. I am also extremely upset at how this issue was handled by EN. I was never asked about my feelings towards PF by EN and I submitted and had published an essay for the Diversity Scholarship last month.
I want everyone to know that this is not an easy issue to wade into and there no one blanket answer. I grew up in the South and know all about the word ‘Plantation’. So in theory I would be leading the charge for Plantation Field’s name to be immediately changed, hard stop, right?? Not necessarily. Another person of color may feel the complete opposite of me. Neither one of us are wrong.
The main reason that I’m posting here is because I sent two separate emails to Leslie at EN over the past week and have not received a response. At first I was chagrined, then annoyed, and now leaning towards angry. There’s not a lot of ‘us’ in this sport. I’m not hard to find. I board at Waredaca, have been competing and volunteering in Area II pretty regularly over the past few years, and have probably had conversations with a few of you. Horses specifically and this sport in particular have been a very happy place for me. I’ve never felt excluded or looked over…until now. There’s a lot of talk about what BIPOC want or feel or need. But no focused effort to ask questions and organize information and then act. I’m pointing to EN, the USEA, and USEF. Sigh.
So here are the two emails I sent to EN. I may regret it but here we go. I’m going to go ride my horse now. ~Helen Casteel:
9/16 8pm
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹Hello,
I’m sure you’re inundated with emails/comments/social media big emotion about the cancellation of Plantation Field and that this email may be buried, but I wanted to share my thoughts about this whole thing as a Black Eventer.
I greatly appreciate ENs commitment to inclusion in the sport, the fact that the team recognized the ‘Plantation’ name has historical implications and made rectifying it an action item. There are a lot of wrongs that need to be acknowledged and righted in this country; it is practically overwhelming.
(Here I want to be delicate because thoughts about this are difficult to convey in an email.)
But did you consult with any POC Eventers or Area II POC Eventers before going down this route? I know the campaign to change the Washington Redskins name was referenced but that’s what it was…a campaign by many people with input from Native tribe members. I competed at Plantation Field for the first time last year and got my AECs qualification and never once felt uncomfortable at being there. If anything I was honored to be competing where so much Eventing history has been made. As I wrote in my essay for the Diversity Scholarship, I’ve loved this sport since I was a kid and am now at the point where I can actively participate. The fact that I won’t be able to go back is heartbreaking.
Instead of pushing for the name change and having the conflict with organizers and owners escalate, I would have requested a simple paragraph be permanently placed on the website, show brochure and any other official publication noting the history of the word ‘Plantation’ in this country; explaining the actual meaning behind the name ‘Plantation Field’ along with clear statement that all races, genders, and religions are welcome.
I want Recognition of past wrongs and more participation. Not loss of venues, volunteers, and competitors for our sport.
An example of what I’m feeling: There has been a push by some Realtors to no longer use the word ‘Master’ Bedroom when describing main bedroom suites in homes. Yes the name is a problem. However the larger issue is systematic redlining of neighborhoods that has created generational poverty for Black Americans.
On a personal level, this situation puts me in an uncomfortable position. My horse is recovering from an injury so we aren’t doing any recognized HTs this year. Next year I’m worried that people will look at me at shows and think I’m part of the reason Plantation Field isn’t running anymore. I’m now feeling more like an outsider that I ever have.
I truly hope there is some way for this to be turned around and events reinstated at Plantation Field. I know there are a couple of big personalities involved that can make discussing this topic very difficult but there has to be a middle ground somewhere.
Also…If there is a similar push with Morven Park organizers, please stop and reevaluate.
I hope this email is read and considered. Thank you.
9/18 9.21am
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹Good morning,
I haven’t heard back from you about my previous email. Hopefully not because I disagree with the way this happened, but if so, that’s okay. This’ll be my last outreach on the subject.
I understand the actions behind the push to change Plantation Field’s name and am glad that a number of people, white and people of color support the effort. But again, I am a Black female USEA member in Area II and am directly affected by this. I don’t know PF’s organizer and ownership team personally but am familiar with them through years of observation. Question for you. What was your expected outcome when they were first approached? Did you think that they would just agree to the name change and that’d be it? Change like this does not come easily and usually has to be forced. I feel like the EN team entered into this with no leverage. Donald Sterling did not sell the Clippers and Dan Snyder did not acquiesce to the Redskins name change because they had a change of heart. Sterling lost his team in court. Snyder lost support of MAJOR sponsors and private equity firms. Were PF’s sponsors a part of your approach? Did you have support from the PF ground team and volunteers? Did the Area II Chair know what was going on? Have competitors told you that they would no longer compete at PF because of the name? Did the USEF and USEA take the lead in pushing the effort and managing the name change? I don’t know the details but I feel like you literally brought a knife to a gunfight. There was no way the PF name would change just because you asked for it to be done. That should have been known from the very beginning.
All I know of the EN team are the articles I see posted on the website. Do you have any Black/POC people on your executive team or in a consulting role? Yes it is up to the sport’s white leaders and members to right this ship. However from what I see, you all are running toward the cliff with little nuance or direction. For example, when the Diversity Scholarship was first announced, I suggested a ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ drop down under the EN Topics header. That has not been done. All of the Diversity Scholarship essays have disappeared from the website. I was talking with my Dad about my essay and wanted to quote another person. I went to the website to find their essay but they are all gone. All of that work we did is invisible, like it never happened. Why? These are things that you should be working on right now. You all have a huge blind spot that is only hurting you. Making sure the EN team is truly representative and that the website is reflective of what your priorities are will make any future efforts easier to achieve.
To most people this is a ‘black’ and ‘white’ issue. Either you’re for or against. It is not that simple and there is a lot of grey here. If you want change then you all need to recognize that. I, personally, am not injured by the PF name. I know the history of the word ‘Plantation’. I was born in North Carolina and spent most of my life in Texas before moving to Massachusetts (where by the way I’ve experienced worse racism than while living in Texas). I’ve been called nigger to my face and behind my back. I also know chattel slavery did not take place at PF and that the Underground Railroad ran right to Kennett Square. I know the types of people you had conversations with about the name change. I also know this sport is 1,000% dependent on land and the cooperation of land owners and work of the organizers. You cannot enter into these fights swinging with no leverage or willingness to compromise and not expect loss of venues.
What you do with this email and everything I’ve said is up to you. If you want to take on real change then how about making sure EN sponsors and advertisers have diverse advert campaigns? How about running stories on Kerrits and Smartpak who have, quickly, diversified their advertising and outreach? How about running stories about pushing USEA/USEF to diversity their leadership teams?
I have purposely not commented about this on my social media and don’t plan to yet. I will say the number of white people speaking for BIPOC and our feelings is infuriating. Including people I know. Everyone is yelling at each other and it’s just not a good time right now. I hope you and the EN team learn from this so that going forward we can work for change and actually achieve it.