Lady Antebellum changes name in wake of Black Lives Matter protests

The country music group Lady Antebellum has changed their name to just Lady A.

In a letter addressed to their fans, the Grammy award-winning trio announced they are “moving forward” as Lady A following the recent weeks of Black Lives Matter protests across the US.

“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,” the group wrote.

Critics have pointed out that “Antebellum,” which comes from the Latin for “before war,” is generally used to refer to the Antebellum South, a pre-Civil War period in the US marked by a reliance on black slavery.

“We understand that many of you may ask the question ‘Why have you not made this change until now?’ The answer is that we can make no excuse for our lateness to this realization. What we can do is acknowledge it, turn from it and take action,” the group wrote in their latter.

“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,” they added.

Dear fans... pic.twitter.com/7JlcH2NMl6

— Lady A (@ladya) June 11, 2020

Lady A also promised to be “committed to examining our individual and collective impact and making the necessary practice to anti-racism.”

Americans have taken to the streets to call for racial justice since the May 25 death of George Floyd who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pinned him to the ground with his knee on his neck for several minutes.

Floyd’s death shed light on police brutality against black men and women, and is seen as an example of why US policing policies should be reformed. – Margaret Claire Layug/RC, GMA News