Lady Antebellum Drops 'Antebellum' From Name Over Associations To Slavery
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Popular country music band Lady Antebellum have changed their name to "Lady A" in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and the George Floyd protests.
On Thursday, the band announced on Instagram that it was dropping the Antebellum from its name.
"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 band wrote.
Antebellum refers to an architectural style of home which was prevalent in the Southern United States in the 19th century.
"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," the band wrote. "As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced us…But 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."
As the Black Lives Matter movement has gained strength over the past several weeks, efforts have been made nationwide to reexamine and attempt to rectify areas in American culture where racism exists or has been condoned.
Earlier this week, HBO Max announced it was temporarily removing the 1939 movie "Gone with the Wind" from its library due to the films racist undertones. In Santa Barbara, the longtime restaurant "Sambo's" announced last week it was changing its name. NASCAR Wednesday said that Confederate flags would be banned at its events. Several statues of Confederate leaders or slave traders have been toppled.
On Wednesday, however, President Donald Trump said he would not rename Army posts currently named after Confederate leaders.