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(Journalist)
– The Tennesséens do not agree on who deserves the honor of a statue on the grounds of the Capitol of the State. An attempt last summer to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was a Confederate general and member of the Ku Klux Klan, was blocked by state lawmakers, reports CNN. A lawmaker proposed replacing Forrest’s bust with Dolly Parton’s in 2019, but that did not happen. And a petition on change.org proposes a drastic solution: replace every Confederate statue with one of Parton. Perhaps sensing a tidal wave, another state lawmaker is trying again. Bill 135 would add a statue of Parton to the Capitol Park, Billboard reports, opposite Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, where the star often performed.
The bill would establish a Dolly Parton fund to pay for the statue. The money would come from donations, gifts and grants, per CNN. Representative John Mark Windle’s Bill says the statue “would recognize her for everything she has contributed to this state.” The petition calls Parton “a true hero from Tennessee,” and it’s hard to argue. She has raised millions of dollars to help others. Last year, the singer contributed $ 1 million to the development of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine and saved a 9-year-old from being hit by a vehicle. Parton did not comment on the possibility of a statue. “At this point in history,” Windle said, according to the AP, “is there a better example, not only in America but in the world, of a leader who is (a) a being? kind, decent and passionate human? ” (Read more stories from Dolly Parton.)
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