Dolly Parton Comes Out for Black Lives Matter: ‘Do We Think Our Little White Asses Are The Only Ones That Matter? No!’

Sarah RumpfAug 14th, 2020, 7:58 pm
 
dolly parton

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Country music icon Dolly Parton lived up to her reputation as a straight shooter in a recent interview with Billboard, addressing hot topics like racism and Black Lives Matter with her trademark forthrightness, stating: “Of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”

Parton, who was born and raised in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Tennessee, infuses her Southern charm into her acting roles and country songs. Her career has spanned fifty years and made her not just an artistic and financial success, but launched an internationally-recognizable brand, spawning theme parks, spas, and other entertainment and recreational venues.

Parton is unabashedly proud of her Southern heritage, but she’s also outspoken about the importance of being inclusive. Parton’s chain of dinner theaters were originally called “Dixie Stampede,” a term with connections to not just the South in general, but the Confederacy. Parton renamed the theaters in 2018, two years before the George Floyd protests would renew calls for the removal of Confederate statues and the renaming of military bases and other government property named after rebel leaders.

“There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” Parton told Billboard, adding that she heard people say the term “Dixie” was “an offensive word” and she 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,” Parton added. “Don’t be a dumbass. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”

Noting that the recent protests had led groups like Lady Antebellum and the Dixie Chicks to change their names to distance themselves from the Confederate past, Billboard asked Parton for her views on the Black Lives Matter movement.

While Parton had not attended any recent marches, her support of the protesters and the movement is described as “unequivocal.”

“I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” Parton said. “And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”

Parton has also been outspoken about her Christian faith, but equally firm in her belief that “the last thing we’re supposed to do is to judge one another. God is the judge, not us. I just try to be myself. I try to let everybody else be themselves.”

Twitter, of course, recognizes no such admonitions against judging, but the reaction to Parton’s interview was overwhelmingly positive, no surprise regarding a performer who has built up so many years of goodwill.

 

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.