Lady Antebellum made a major announcement on Thursday as the country trio announced they would be changing their name and dropping the “Antebellum” from their name.
The decision came in light of the Black Lives Matter protests.
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In an emotional Instagram post on Thursday, Lady A announced their name change to their nearly 2 million followers.
“Dear Fans, 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 everyday,” the statement began.
“Now, blindspots 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.”
“When we set out together almost 14 years ago, we named our band after the southern ‘antebellum’ style home where we took our first photos.”
“As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced us…Southern Rock, Blues, R&B, Gospel and of course Country.”
The band explained they didn’t understand the racist connotation the word antebellum had.
“We are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before The Civil War, which includes slavery.”
Antebellum is used to refer positively to a way of life in the South, prior to the Civil War before slavery was abolished.
According to Merriam Webster , the word comes from the Latin phrase ante bellum (literally meaning”before the war”), and its earliest known print appearance in English dates back to the 1840s.
The statement continued: “We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued.
“Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that. So today, we speak up and make a change. We hope you will dig in and join us.”
“We feel like we have been Awakened, but this is just one step. There are countless more that need to be taken. 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.”
“Our next outward step will be a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAID.”
The statement concluded: “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 & generations to come.”
Fans have been appreciating the band’s rebrand and have taken to Twitter to express those feelings.
Needless to say, it’s not easy to admit mistakes, which is what makes this name change admirable.
“‘Why haven’t you changed before now?’ ‘We have no excuse’. This is how you grow people. Stop being defensive and grow,” wrote one fan.
I think it’s an important step forward in the understanding of the Black experience and the internalized racism that saturates our society.
It’s a great move on Lady A’s part to address their ignorance and aim to move forward from it.
To find out more about the Black Lives Matter movement, please click here .
