A statue of country music legend Dolly Parton can be seen on the Capitol grounds in Nashville, Tennessee – that is, if Democratic Representative John Mark Windle has anything to say about it.
Windle filed a bill Tuesday that mandated “a statue of Dolly Parton be used to recognize her for all she has contributed to this state.” ‘According to the bill, the statue would be “on the capital grounds in the direction of the Ryman Auditorium”, where the 74-year-old “Jolene” singer and songwriter has shaped her career.
“It’s just a sacred ground for me,” Parton, 74, said of the venue in 2017. ‘It’s like going home. It feels like your family; it feels like your mom and your dad and your whole family are just surrounding you. I just have the feeling here that I’m not getting anywhere else. â
Parton, a native of Tennessee, has a strong history of philanthropy and devotion to the state, where she built her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge. The nine-time Grammy winner founded the Imagination Library, which has been encouraging children’s literature around the world for 30 years by sending books to children under the age of 5. And last year, Parton donated $ 1 million to Vanderbilt University to do research. helps fund the Modern Covid19 vaccine. When the news broke about her donation, Parton said Today Show, âI’m just glad that anything I do can help someone else. â
In August, a local artist from Nashville painted a mural by Parton outside The 5 Spot music venue, with a recent interview with the singer. “Of course Black lives matter,” Parton said Billboard that month. “Do we think our little whites are the only ones who matter?”
This is not the first time a Parton statue has been considered. Last year, an online petition, now with more than 25,000 signatures, demanded that one of Parton replace the Confederate sculptures in Tennessee. And in 2019, a legislature proposed replacing a statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest, leader of the Ku Klux Klan, with Parton.
The bill, introduced last week, says Parton’s statue will not be paid for by taxpayers’ money, but rather by “gifts, grants and other donations.”
“At this point in history, is there a better example, not only in America but also in the world, of a leader who is a friendly, decent, passionate person?” The Tennessean. “(She is) a passionate person who loves everyone, and everyone loves her.”
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