Dolly Parton has weighed in on the Black Lives Matter debate, offering a politic answer that seems designed to avoid controversy over the far-left, anti police group and keep her in good graces with the media and her fans.
In a lengthy Billboard profile, the country music legend voiced sympathy for black lives while stopping short of endorsing the movement itself. “I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” she said. “And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”
Watch below:
"Of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!” –@DollyParton on supporting the #BlackLivesMatter movement and protests.
Check out the full cover story here: https://t.co/AN9zNk1dRX pic.twitter.com/Oe1ZfZAl2t
— billboard (@billboard) August 14, 2020
Dolly Parton said she tries not pass judgement on other people.
“First of all, I’m not a judgmental person. I do believe we all have a right to be exactly who we are, and it is not my place to judge,” she told the magazine. “All these good Christian people that are supposed to be such good Christian people, 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.”
Parton also discussed her decision in 2018 to rename her “Dixie Stampede” dinner attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to “Dolly Parton’s Stampede” in order to avoid offending anyone.
“There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” she said. “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,” she added. “That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”
Dolly Parton spoke about the challenges her business faces in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We certainly are not going to have a great year this year,” she told Billboard. “Hopefully by coming back, we’ll pick up some stuff that we’ve lost. All of the things that I’m involved in are on hold, even my production companies and the movies — everything [took] a big hit. But I still believe, still trust God, and I’m still hoping for the best.”‘
The country star backed Hillary Clinton in 2016, telling the New York Times “Hillary might make as good a president as anybody ever has. I personally think a woman would do a great job. I think Hillary’s very qualified. So if she gets it, I’ll certainly be behind her.”
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