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Dixie Chicks Drop 'Dixie' From Name

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The Dixie Chicks, one of the biggest acts in country music, have dropped the "Dixie" from their name due to its association with the Confederacy.

Dixie Chicks
(L-R) Musicians Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks arrive at the David Lynch Foundation Gala Honoring Rick Rubin at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on February 27, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The group changed their name to "The Chicks" across all their social media platforms Thursday in response to the nationwide George Floyd protests against racism and police brutality.

"We want to meet this moment," they wrote on their website.

The group thanked music group "The Chicks" in New Zealand for "allowing us to share their name," in a statement to Rolling Stone magazine.

Dixie is a nickname for the states south of the Mason-Dixon line, which in the 18th century specifically referred to the Southern Confederate states.

Country music band Lady Antebellum also announced last month they were dropping the "Antebellum" from their name due to the word's connotation to the slavery era.

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The Chicks have never shied away from controversy. In a show in London in 2003, lead singer Natalie Maines criticized then President George W. Bush about the impending Iraq War.

"Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," Maines said.

The comments set off a firestorm of criticism, with several country radio stations refusing to to play their songs.

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