Source: Jim Dyson / Getty
Dolly Parton is shaking the table for her fan base and has no remorse.
During her interview with Billboard magazine, the country icon spoke out in support of Black Lives Matter, calling on her fans to show support for equality before noting the importance of everyone’s voices being heard and represented.
“I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” Dolly Parton said. “And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”
Country Music Queen also expounded on her decision to rename her “Dixie Stampede” dinner attraction in 2018, after it was called a “lily-white kitsch extravaganza that play-acts the Civil War but never once mentions slavery” in a 2017 Slate article. The Southern-themed horse-riding and pyrotechnics show that takes place in Missouri and Tennessee, was soon dubbed “The Stampede” in order to avoid offense.
“There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” Parton continued. “When they said ‘Dixie’ was an offensive word, I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to offend anybody. This is a business. We’ll just call it The Stampede.’ As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don’t be a dumbass. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”
In addition to discussing the social climate, the interview notes Parton’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing the singer’s donation of $1 million toward coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, along with the release of her inspirational song “When Life Is Good Again.”
“As the Scripture says, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’” Parton said. “So I look at my life with that every day and think that God expects it of me. … If I can be an inspiration, then I want to be that. That makes me feel good.”
Check out the article in full here.
