Popular country group Lady Antebellum has announced that they will be changing their name to Lady A due to their original name’s racist connotations. The word “antebellum,” as described in the group’s apology, refers to “the period of history before the civil war, which includes slavery.”
The band, which is made up of bandmates Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood, took to social media on Thursday to explain their decision.
Dear fans… pic.twitter.com/7JlcH2NMl6
— Lady A (@ladya) June 11, 2020
“As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge… inclusive of all. We’ve watched and listened more than ever these last few weeks, and our hearts have been stirred with conviction, our eyes opened wide to the injustices, inequality and biases Black women and men have always faced and continue to face every day. Now, blind spots we didn’t even know existed have been revealed.”
“After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest Black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word “antebellum” from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start,” the post continued.
The five-time Grammy winners also acknowledged some followers may ask why the group didn’t make the change until now.
“The answer is that we can make no excuse for our lateness to this realization,” the artists said. “What we can do is acknowledge it, turn from it and take action.”
Near the end of the statement, the music stars wrote they felt like they “have been Awakened.”
“There are countless more that need to be taken,” they said. “We want to do better. We are committed to examining our individual and collective impact and making the necessary changes to practice antiracism. We will continue to educate ourselves, have hard conversations and search the parts of our hearts that need pruning—to grow into better humans, better neighbors.”
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The trio then announced they’re donating to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAID.
“Our prayer is that if we lead by example…with humility, love empathy and action…we can be better allies to those suffering from spoken and unspoken injustices, while influencing our children and generations to come,” they concluded their message.
The group’s decision comes amid growing calls for an end to systematic racism following George Floyd’s death while in Minneapolis police custody.