(Newser)
– The Tennessees have not agreed on who deserves the honor of a statue on the grounds of the state Capitol. State lawmakers blocked last summer’s attempt to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was a Confederate general and member of the Ku Klux Klan. A lawmaker proposed replacing Forrest’s bust with one of Dolly Parton in 2019, but that didn’t happen. And a petition to change.org proposes a radical solution: replace all Confederate statues with one of Parton. Possibly, feeling a well of earth, another state legislator tries again. The Bill 135 house would add a statue of Parton to the Capitol grounds, Billboard according to reports, in front of the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where the star has often played.
The bill would establish a Dolly Parton fund to pay for the statue. The money would come from donations, gifts and grants by CNN. Rep. John Mark Windle’s bill says the statue “will recognize it for everything it has contributed to that state.” The petition says Parton is “a true Tennessee hero,” and that’s hard to argue. He has raised millions of dollars to help others. Just last year, the singer contributed $ 1 million to the development of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine and saved a nine-year-old boy from being hit by a vehicle. Parton has not commented on the possibility of a statue. “At this point in history,” Windle said, according to the AP, “there is a better example, not just in America, but in the world, of a leader who is (a) a kind, decent human being. passionate? ” (Read more Dolly Parton stories.)