Dolly Parton has officially asked the Tennessee legislature to not move forward with the considered statue in her honor on the Capitol grounds.
Parton released a statement via her social media where she essentially said "thanks, but no thanks."
"I want to thank the Tennessee legislature for their consideration of a bill to erect a statue of me on the Capitol grounds," she began.
"I am honored and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration."
"Given all that is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time," Parton continued, presumably referring to the ongoing pandemic and the current environmental crisis in Texas.
"I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I'm gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I'm certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean,"
Tennessee's own Dolly Parton has donated money throughout her career toward important causes. Just last year, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University's ongoing research against the ongoing pandemic, and helped fund one of the two major vaccines in distribution now.
Parton has also retained unwavering support for anti-racism and the LGBTQ+ community, and has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars motivating children in her native Tennessee to stay in school, graduate with their diploma, and go to college.
"I'm just happy that anything I do can help somebody else," Parton said to Today, about the role she played in the vaccine's development.
"When I donated the money to the [virus] fund I just wanted it to do good and evidently, it is! Let's just hope we can find a cure real soon."
Parton, a woman who does good for the sake of doing good, is a true idol.
@GregAbbott_TX/X
