The Dixie Chicks change name to The Chicks

The group also dropped the powerful new single, 'March March.'
June 26, 2020 12:59 p.m. EST
June 26, 2020 3:51 p.m. EST
The Dixie Chicks are no more. In an effort to distance themselves from any associations with the Confederacy, the country trio made up of Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire have renamed themselves The Chicks.The Chicks are the latest public entity to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement by removing and rethinking wording and images that could be harmful. The three Texas natives formed the band in 1989 and chose the name based on the song and album “Dixie Chicken” by bluegrass and country group Little Feat. Dixie or Dixieland is typically used to refer to the Southern United States, but its history is closely tied to the Confederate States of America.On June 25, The Chicks quietly shared their new name by updating their website and social media accounts. The three members also signed a short but powerful statement on their site, writing "We want to meet this moment."[video_embed id='1985082']RELATED: Disney replacing Splash Mountain with 'Princess and the Frog' ride[/video_embed]To usher in this new moment as The Chicks, the band also released a new song. The powerful anthem “March March” is a call to action on a wide range of social justice issues, including racism, climate change, the underfunding of education and gun violence in America. The haunting and powerful track was produced by Jack Antonoff and acts as the latest single from the band’s upcoming release Gaslighter, their first new album in 14 years.“March, March” arrived with a commanding lyric video that includes footage of recent Black Lives Matter protests, as well as shots of activists Greta Thunberg and Gloria Steinem and historical footage from past protests over women’s rights, civil rights and LGBTQ+ rights.The video concludes with a sobering list of names of dozens of Black Americans who have been killed by police and victims of racially-motivated attacks and a message to fans to use their voice by voting. The band also linked to several organizations at the end of the video, including Black Lives Matter, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign, the Innocence Project and the Native American Rights Fund.
Jessica Sciacchitano, a rep for The Chicks, confirmed to CBS News that the Grammy winners have officially changed their name. Sciacchitano also stated that the band wanted to publicly thank the 1960s pop duo The Chicks, writing “A sincere and heartfelt thank you goes out to ‘The Chicks’ of [New Zealand] for their gracious gesture in allowing us to share their name. We are honored to co-exist together in the world with these exceptionally talented sisters. Chicks Rock!”Earlier this month, fellow country act Lady Antebellum changed their name to Lady A as a way to shed any association with the Antebellum South, a time in American history that was marked by economic growth as a result of slave labour. Unlike The Chicks, the band unfortunately did not check the availability of their new name, which is already in use by Seattle blues singer, Lady A.Gone with the Wind, an iconic film with a controversial legacy due to its romanticizing of the Antebellum South and the period leading up to the Civil War, was temporarily removed from streaming on HBO Max and returns with a disclaimer about the film’s racist implications. Two additional videos have also been added to provide a more accurate historical and cultural context to the film's story.[video_embed id='1983454']RELATED: Lainey apologizes for past racist and homophobic posts on her blog[/video_embed]

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