Lady A's move to sue the original Lady A Anita White has Internet calling 'woke' band out for being 'racist'
Things have now escalated in the once-friendly discussion between Seattle-based blues singer Anita White and country music trio Lady A. The latter's members — Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood — had originally abandoned their infamous moniker "Lady Antebellum" because of its allusions to the Antebellum South and slavery back in June.
However, once they made their decision to go by their new name Lady A, which they had held the trademark rights to since 2011, another Seattle-based singer, Anita White, who had been using the Lady A name for well over 20 years, made her miffed feelings heard. After a frank exchange of views and positive talks between the two parties, it seemed like things were heading for an amicable conclusion.
However, as we previously reported, it then emerged that Anita White was demanding a huge sum of money from the popular country music trio, to the tune of 10 million dollars. The band promptly issued a statement saying, "Today we are sad to share that our sincere hope to join together with Anita White in unity and common purpose has ended. She and her team have demanded a $10 million payment, so reluctantly we have come to the conclusion that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years."
On hearing that the band was going to sue the original Lady A singer, most social media users seemed to support Anita White on the matter. One user tweeted her confused response: "Changing their band to Lady Antebellum to Lady A to show support for Black Lives Matter but then sue a Black blues singer also named Lady A to get ownership of the name Lady A... Um..."
One person tweeted, "This is a very bad look," while another user stated, "While Lady Antebellum filed for the 'Lady A' trademark in 2010 and there were no objections at the time, I’m not sure the smart move here is to file a lawsuit against a black woman singer who has been using 'Lady A' as her stage name for over two decades."
Another enraged supporter said, "Lady Antebellum changing their name to Lady A to be 'woke' with BLM only to SUE AN ACTUAL BLACK ARTISTE who already has that name proves that the elite does NOT care about 'equality', they care about feeling better about themselves while still making their money!"
However, some users were taking the side of the band, with one fan tweeting, "It's not the band stealing a name, it's the band securing the right to continue using something they own. White can continue using the name as well, she's just not getting the $10 million she demanded after changing her mind overnight." Another joked, "Shoulda just gone with Lady and the Bellum."
However, a majority of users called the band out for the irony behind their actions, with one saying, "Amazing how many white people conveniently overlook the fact that white entitlement is a top three trait of racism. You didn't do the research, up and change your name in so-called solidarity, and then wanna rip it from the originator's hands? Tell me how that isn't racist."
An unimpressed person quipped, "Change your name to Lazy A," while another concluded, "Lady A might win their lawsuit on legal grounds, but they have already lost to public scrutiny. Either change your name to something NOT already used by another band/artiste or pay Anita 'Lady A' White the $10mil she's asking." It looks like the public has spoken! Lady A will have to do some serious damage control to fix this PR disaster.