Dolly Parton Gets SO REAL On Race: 'Do We Think Our Little White Asses Are The Only Ones That Matter?'

Country music has not not always been the most welcoming, diverse environment in the music industry. Generally speaking, it’s a group of white artists who attract a largely white audience, with southern roots, and who have at times glamorized the region’s Confederate history.

Seeing as how Dolly Parton is country music royalty, you might be tempted to paint her with that same broadly conservative brush — but you’d be very wrong!

In an interview released on Thursday, the music legend and noted philanthropist spoke with Billboard about a wide range of topics, including the recent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. While Parton hasn’t been out protesting herself, she made her feelings clear in no uncertain terms. She said:

“I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen. And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”

The Grammy winner also commented on changing the name of her “Dixie Stampede” attraction back in 2018 (years before The Chicks dropped the term from their own name). Now called “Dolly Parton’s Stampede,” Billboard noted that at the time, the company had claimed “Dixie” wouldn’t translate well abroad.

In the year 2020, however, the 74-year-old acknowledged the word’s hurtful history. She explained:

“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.’ As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don’t be a dumbass. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”

The Jolene singer went on to explain how BLM fits easily into her personal morality — and to throw shade at the kind of evangelicals who use religion to cloak their own racist and homophobic beliefs. (*cough* Mike Pence *cough*) Parton shared:

“First of all, I’m not a judgmental person. I do believe we all have a right to be exactly who we are, and it is not my place to judge. All these good Christian people that are supposed to be such good Christian people, the last thing we’re supposed to do is to judge one another. God is the judge, not us. I just try to be myself. I try to let everybody else be themselves.”

Well said!

The Black Lives Matter movement is so much bigger than any one celeb that throws their weight behind it. That said, it’s always nice to hear support from major public figures, especially one whose audience is as large and far-reaching as Dolly’s.

We will ALWAYS love you, queen!

[Image via Judy Eddy/WENN]