One Vote Against a Dolly Parton Statue: Dolly's

Entertainer says this isn't the right time, though a lawmaker in Tennessee disagrees
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2021 2:03 PM CST
Dolly Parton to Tennessee: No Statue, Please
Dolly Parton performs at the Glastonbury music festival in England in 2014.   (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

If Tennessee lawmakers move ahead with erecting a statue of Dolly Parton at the state Capitol, they'll be defying the wishes of the entertainer herself. In a statement Thursday, the 75-year-old Parton asked lawmakers to scrap the plan, at least for now, reports NBC News. Parton, a Tennessee native, wrote that she is "honored and humbled" by the idea. But "given all that is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time." Parton didn't rule out the idea down the road, however. "Somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I'm gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I'm certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean."

Lawmakers on a House committee are scheduled to consider a bill Tuesday put forth by state Rep. John Windle, per the Tennessean. But it appears that Windle isn't about to ditch his legislation, which calls for the establishment of a "Dolly Parton fund" to pay for the statue. "I certainly respect her wishes, but I'm gonna give her fans a chance to change her mind," he tells the newspaper. "Because she's wrong. She does deserve this." (The idea to honor Parton at the state Capitol in Nashville arose during discussion about the removal of a bust of a Confederate general.)

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