(CLARKSVILLENOW) – A new petition suggesting that confederate monuments be replaced with statues of country music icon Dolly Parton have begun circulating throughout Tennessee, gathering thousands of signatures.
“History should not be forgotten, but we need not glamorize those who do not deserve our praise. Instead, let us honor a true Tennessee hero, Dolly Parton…Let’s replace the statues of men who sought to tear this country apart with a monument to the woman who has worked her entire life to bring us closer together,” says Alex Parsons, who started the petition.
The debate over confederate monuments and their removal from public spaces has become a hot topic in the past week as protests over police brutality and systemic racism continue across the country.
Wednesday, June 10, a committee of Tennessee lawmakers voted down a resolution (11-5) to remove the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, founder and first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, from the state capitol building.
June 11 in Stewart County, a monument locate at Fort Donelson was vandalized with phrases including ‘racist,’ ‘defund police’ and ‘take me down.” Plans have since been made to restore the statue.
The online petition suggests that such statues not only be removed from public property, but that they be replaced with statues of other iconic Tennesseans; namely, Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton has long been a favorite in her home state, known for her philanthropic work with Imagination Library and assistance given to residents of Sevier County following 2016’s devastating wildfires. Parton recently donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for COVID-19 research and released a 10 week ‘Dolly Reads’ YouTube series.
“While the idea of replacing all of those monuments with Dolly Parton may seem funny, the history of those monuments is anything but,” said Parsons.
As of 3:16 p.m. on June 15, the petition has reached 7,906 signatures with a goal of 10,000.