Country group Lady Antebellum changes name because of 'blindspots' they didn't know existed, including slavery

Following the George Floyd protests, there have been cultural upheaval transpiring at breakneck speed. Christopher Columbus statues are being torn down, police TV shows are being canceled, rappers have taken control of autonomous zones, and cartoons dogs are being lambasted. With the woke mob ready to cancel anyone and anything, one country-pop music group took it upon themselves to try to avoid being maligned for their band name.

Grammy-winning group Lady Antebellum announced Thursday that it had changed its band name. From now on, Lady Antebellum will go by the name of "Lady A." The country-pop trio, who are best known for their 2009 hit song, "Need You Now," said they made the change because"blindspots we didn't even know existed have been revealed."

Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood released a letter to their fans about the change.

"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 letter read.

"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 announced.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that the definition of "antebellum" is "existing before a war, especially: existing before the American Civil War."

"Antebellum means 'before the war,' but it wasn't widely associated with the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865) until after that conflict was over," the dictionary said. "The word comes from the Latin phrase 'ante bellum' (literally, 'before the war'), and its earliest known print appearance in English dates back to the 1840s."

The term does not make reference to either side of the Civil War: the Confederate States of America or the United States of America. The word only pertains to anything before the Civil War.

"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 explained. "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. 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.

"We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued," the letter continued. "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."

There has been a renewed interest in dismantling Confederate statues in the past week, including beheading four Confederate statues in Virginia and tearing down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis along Richmond's Monument Avenue.