Dolly Parton isn’t parsing words when it comes to her feelings about the lives of Black people.
In an in-depth interview with Billboard, the country music singer discussed her career, which includes her amusement park and family entertainment empire Dollywood.
In 2018, the Civil War-themed dinner theater attractions at the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri, locations changed their name from Dixie Stampede to Dolly Parton’s Stampede. Dixie is a nickname for Southern states and is frequently associated with the Confederacy.
“There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” she told Billboard. “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.”
RELATED: ‘Dixie’ no more: Country music group changes name to The Chicks
The change was made before George Floyd was killed by police in Minnesota, which prompted global protests against police brutality, systemic racism, and unjust killings of Black people in America by police.
Parton hasn’t participated in any marches or protests but was sympathetic toward the efforts in the interview.
“I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” she said. “And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”
Parton is the latest country music act to step forward and make changes in wake of recent protests. The Dixie Chicks dropped Dixie from their name and now go by The Chicks. Lady Antebellum now goes by Lady A, although not without some controversy. A Black Seattle blues singer went by the name and the band is now suing her after conversations between the two parties broke down.
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