Thousands Sign Petition to Replace Tennessee’s Confederate Statues With Dolly Parton

From Prevention

• A petition to replace Tennessee’s confederate monuments with Dolly Parton statues has gained thousands of signatures.

• People of all political affiliations have vocalized their support on Twitter.

• A similar petition vows for statues of Britney Spears to replace Louisina’s confederate monuments.

Nationwide protests in response to police brutality and the killing of George Floyd have sparked a renewed drive to eliminate confederate monuments across the country. And one Tennessean in particular is petitioning to replace the state’s statues with an ode to the one and only Dolly Parton (like the one pictured above!).

“Tennessee is littered with statues memorializing confederate officers,” petition creator Alex Parson wrote on Change.org. “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.”

Parson went on to list some of the country legend’s most honorable achievements, including her commitment to education via her Imagination Library and Dollywood Foundation, as well as charitable donations to causes like COVID-19 research.

“Let’s replace the statues of men who sought to tear this country apart,” Parson continued, “with a monument to the woman who has worked her entire life to bring us closer together.”

The petition has taken off rather quickly, with 14,500 of 15,000 needed signatures at the time of publication—not to mention the storm of tweets that have surfaced in support.

“Dolly Parton wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day. ON THE SAME DAY. Give her all the statues,” one person tweeted. “Dolly Parton has put more than 100 million books into the hands of children. She should have a statue in every damn city,” another added.

“Dolly is an American treasure and should be treated as such!” someone else wrote.

Senator Ted Cruz even chimed in: “Now this seems worthwhile: replace statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest—former delegate to 1860 Democrat National Convention, vicious slave trader & the founder of the KKK—with the great Dolly Parton. A win-win!”

The singer’s legacy seems to be one thing everyone can agree on.

But Parton isn’t the only music sensation deemed worthy of statewide honor. A similar petition vows for statues of Britney Spears to replace Louisina’s confederate monuments, citing her philanthropic contributions, including her donation of Las Vegas residency ticket sales to Louisiana flood recovery. The petition has garnered 40,700 of the 50,000 requested signatures at the time of publication.

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