In the wake of Lady Antebellum rebranding as Lady A, there are calls for the Dixie Chicks to consider a name change.
“This is a discussion we need to have,” opined Variety contributor Jeremy Helligar, “and they should be a part of it.
“Their silence has been deafening.”
Helligar, who is Black, said “Dixie” is “a celebration of a Southern tradition that is indivisible from Black slaves and those grand plantations where they were forced to toil for free” and “for many Black people, it conjures a time and a place of bondage.”
The Dixie Chicks reportedly took their name from the 1973 Little Feat album Dixie Chicken.
But, Jael Goldfine of Paper wrote, "most people associate their name with the popular nickname for the Confederacy.”
On social media, a number of people have tweeted “your turn,” “you’re on the clock” and “you’re on deck” at the Dixie Chicks.
The tweets follow a decision by Lady Antebellum to officially adopt its longtime nickname, Lady A. "Antebellum" comes from the Latin phrase "before the war" and is closely associated with the period in U.S. history leading up to the Civil War, when slavery was common.
In a statement on June 11, the band members said they 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.”
Of course, not everyone thinks the Dixie Chicks name is problematic.
“Nah. The Dixie Chicks are cool,” tweeted one person. Another wrote: “While people are demanding the Dixie Chicks change their name Im (sic) hoping people aren't getting distracted from the most pressing issue: Systemic Racism in our criminal justice system.”
The members of the Dixie Chicks have not yet addressed the issue.
Dixie Chicks, you’re on the clock.
— Sean Agnew (@seanagnew) June 11, 2020
Also, folks: if you're a fellow white person coming in here to explain why The Dixie Chicks shouldn't change their name, I really don't care. It's not our call. It's not our lane. Let's follow the lead of Black folks on this.
— Charlotte Clymer ️ (@cmclymer) June 11, 2020
You're on deck, @dixiechicks
— Shane Styles (@shaner5000) June 11, 2020
I know it may come as shock to the white people, but Black folks (especially from the South) enjoy country music... I know I do. The Dixie Chicks paid a price for calling out W. Bush for the Iraq war. That gives them cred. I don't believe they should change their name. IMO. https://t.co/ISTsuPZAfd
— Floss Obama (@FlossObama) June 11, 2020
Your move, @dixiechicks #WeHaveLostOurDamnMinds
— John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) June 11, 2020
"Dixie Chicks" and "Lady Antebellum" are not the same thing because "Dixie" is a cultural reference to the South as a whole at any point in its history and "Antebellum" is specifically referencing the pre-Civil War period when slavery was still legal.
— Jennie (@angrybooklady) June 11, 2020
I can't wait until the Dixie Chicks become the D Chicks!
— Ron Anderson (@Randerson7Ron) June 12, 2020
