Recent weeks have seen a string of statues torn down in major cities and now a petition seeks to replace the Confederate monuments in Tennessee with statues of a different local hero: Dolly Parton.
In the first three days, the petition gained over 5,400 signatures, as of Monday morning.
It reads, “Tennessee is littered with statues memorializing confederate officers. 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.”
The Change.org petition was put together by a user named Alex Parsons, who added in the intro, “Aside from her beautiful music, which has touched the hearts and lives of millions of Americans, Dolly Parton’s philanthropic heart has unquestionably changed the world for the better.”
“Dolly Parton has given more to this country and this state than those confederate officers could ever have hoped to take away. 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.”
The iconic singer has not commented on the petition but, last week, Taylor Swift called for the removal of Confederate statues in Tennessee.
In a lengthy Twitter thread, Swift wrote, “As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things.”
As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things. Edward Carmack and Nathan Bedford Forrest were DESPICABLE figures in our state history and should be treated as such.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 12, 2020
She added, “Taking down statues isn’t going to fix centuries of systemic oppression, violence and hatred that black people have had to endure but it might bring us one small step closer to making ALL Tennesseans and visitors to our state feel safe — not just the white ones.”
Taking down statues isn’t going to fix centuries of systemic oppression, violence and hatred that black people have had to endure but it might bring us one small step closer to making ALL Tennesseans and visitors to our state feel safe – not just the white ones.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 12, 2020
Democrats in Tennessee have also called for the removal of the bust of early Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest to be removed from the state Capitol building.
