President Parton
Dolly Parton would be an amazing president. During 2024, I saw plenty of shirts with ‘Dolly&Reba ‘24’ and ‘What Would Dolly Do?’ Yes, she is a larger than life, lovable individual. Yes, she has supported great humanitarian efforts. Yes, she shares her wealth with those less fortunate. I personally believe it goes much deeper than that.
I was shopping with my parents at a bookstore in Columbia, Tennessee, when I came across a book about Dolly Parton. It was called She Come by it Natural by Sarah Smarsh. The book was well written and shows a full picture of Dolly and the obstacles she has overcome since her humble beginnings. Dolly has created opportunities to help locals in her hometown so they don’t have to grow up fighting the same obstacles. She established an amusement park, Dollywood, to bring tourists to the area and help with employment. She started her Imagination Library in 1995 providing free books to children in Sevier County, where she grew up. Since then, the library has given over 200 million books to children in multiple countries. Her support for education is unmatched. This isn’t news.
What stuck with me was a part in the book that talked about how Dolly supported the locals after the destructive fire of 2016, when 27 square miles were burned to the ground. Dolly’s foundation My People set up an account for locals to sign up for monetary relief, $1,000 a month. When she looked at the numbers, significantly fewer people signed up for the funds than were expected. Dolly had the foundation look into the reasoning. People were worried about signing up for help because they didn’t have citizenship in the United States and were worried that receiving funds would alert authorities who would deport them. After these findings, Dolly made a clear announcement that the funds were to help everyone in need, regardless of citizenship. The assistance would not be used against them. I would appreciate a president who took this stance of helping those in need, regardless of citizenship.
In 2020, Dolly donated $1 million toward COVID vaccine research. The president at the time called COVID the ‘Chinese virus’ and walked into swab factories unmasked, contaminating the supplies which were desperately needed. Dolly used her money toward the good of the people, not spreading lies about the virus or igniting racial tension. She took science seriously and put her personal wealth into the hands of doctors and scientists.
The year 2020 had nationwide protests over the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Georgy Floyd, and other people of color who lost their lives due to police brutality. Black Lives Matter was holding these protests, gaining support, starting difficult conversations, holding people accountable, and taking action. Not everyone supported their efforts, especially those who supported All Lives Matter, as in those who were missing the point. Dolly Parton was quoted as saying, “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!” Sometimes it takes a white person calling out other white people for their ignorance for the message to sink in. Dolly doesn’t have an issue with stating what is right, even though it may be unpopular with her base.
While reading She Come by it Natural, I googled every person mentioned who I didn’t know and every song mentioned that didn’t ring a bell. That’s how I came across a song called “The Bridge,” which was released in 1968. When I first watched Dolly sing this song, I cried hysterically. It’s a beautiful, acoustic song from her days on The Porter Wagoner Show. The YouTube video of her performance is just her and her guitar. The song is about young lovers and how their relationship grew around a bridge, being where they met and where they made love for the first time. The young woman ends up being on the bridge alone with her unborn child, after being left by her lover. She decides to end her life and her child’s life by jumping off the bridge. Dolly understands what happens when women, especially those without means, don’t have access to health care. Abortion laws don’t end abortions, they stop safe abortions. Without access to safe abortions, the lives of the mothers are at stake. I wish more people in politics understood this.
Dolly will always have my vote for president. Her actions support her views and they are what America needs: helping those in need regardless of citizenship, supporting science, minorities, and access to healthcare.