In the midst change undergoing in America regarding racial justice, the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum was made aware of the racist connotation of their name. “Antebellum” means before war specifically pertaining to the American civil war. The American civil war led to the abolishment of slavery and by “Antebellum” being included in their name it could have been insinuated that the group was associated with pre-civil war times.
The band announced that they were changing their name to “Lady A,” and the name had already been taken.The band was allegedly unaware that Lady A was taken by Seattle-based jazz singer Anita White. She was angered by this, as White had already been using the name Lady A for 20 years prior and was unaware of the country group changing to that name. The band’s intentions were to examine their current cultural impact regarding their former name that is linked to negative connotations. On instagram the band stated,“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.”
White was furious even though they allegedly had good intentions because of what she calls “pure privilege.” Formerly known as Lady Antebellum, the country group wanted to settle the issue with White as soon as they can to come to a resolution. Once the country artists had a zoom conference with White, they all came to an agreement that they are going to be sharing the name.
White allowed the country group to apologize for the misunderstanding stating, “I accepted that apology and forgive them for that misstep, but at the same time, we need to work to make a better change….I don’t want people out there spewing hate just because they made a misstep. And yes, I was angry about it, but I’m over it now.”
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