TENNESSEE, USA — Despite a global pandemic, Dolly Parton and her entertainment empire have been very busy.
From shutting down and reopening Dollywood with enhanced health and safety guidelines to announcing her first Christmas album in 20 years, the Sevier County native has not strayed too far from the headlines since the start of 2020.
A new feature from Billboard covers Dolly's career in entertainment looking all the way back to her beginnings on the Cas Walker Show to examine her long-standing appeal among a diverse audience.
One section of the feature is grabbing quite a bit of attention. In it, Dolly addresses the movements for equality, justice and anti-racism that have become prevalent since George Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody.
The article state Dolly has not attended any of the marches or rallies, but the country star still had plenty to say in support of the movement.
“I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” she said in the article. “And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white a***s are the only ones that matter? No!”
Dolly went on to say she is not a judgmental person and that she believes God is the judge.
This is not the first time Dolly has taken a stand when it comes to controversial topics. She removed the Dixie from Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede in 2018 for its hurtful association with the Confederacy and the Civil War.
“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 dumb***. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose," she said in the article.
To see more of the feature, check out the Billboard article online.