OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
Fox News reported that Dolly Parton said that she supports the Black Lives Matter movement in an interview with Billboard this week.
“I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” the country legend said in response to a question about the civil unrest that has erupted across the country.
She continued; “And of course black lives matter. Do we think our little white a–es are the only ones that matter? No!”
Parton has made adjustments in the past to her performances in response to receiving scrutiny for having inadvertent ties to racism. In 2018, Parton chose to changed the name of her variety show from “Dixie Stampede” to “Dolly Parton’s Stampede” after criticism was received for the term “Dixie”.
The music icon admitted that the change was a combination of complaints and learning that the word “dixie” was offensive.
The term “dixie” was largely used to describe the beauty and success of of the southern United States in a time when many Americans suffered under slavery. The term grew popular as a result of shows that are now judged as racially insensitive.
The music icon told Billboard; “There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,”
“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.’”
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She advocated taking action when you learn or realize that something is a problem.
“As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it,”
Parton said. “Don’t be a dumba–. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”Two years after Parton dropped the term from her attraction, country bands Lady Antebellum and The Dixie Chicks have followed suit.
Now known as Lady A and The Chicks, respectively, both bands announced the name changes this summer.
The Chicks appear to have avoided any controversy since then, but Lady A has filed a lawsuit to secure the rights to the name against Anita White, a blues singer who has used the moniker for decades.
