(Newser)
– Tennesseans disagreed about who deserves the honor of a statue on the state Capitol grounds. An attempt last summer to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was a Confederate general and a member of the Ku Klux Klan, was blocked by state lawmakers, CNN reported. A lawmaker has proposed replacing Forrest’s bust with a Dolly Parton bust in 2019, but it didn’t. And a petition on change.org proposes a comprehensive solution: Replace each Confederate statue with one from Parton. Possibly feeling a wave of growth, another state legislator is trying again. House Bill 135 would add a statue of Parton to the Capitol grounds, Advertising panel reports, facing the Nashville landmark Ryman Auditorium, where the star played frequently.
The bill would establish a Dolly Parton fund to pay for the statue. The money would come from donations, gifts and grants, by CNN. Congressman John Mark Windle’s bill says the statue would “recognize it for everything it contributed to this state.” The petition calls Parton “a true Tennessee hero”, and that is hard to argue. She 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 9-year-old child from being hit by a vehicle. Parton did not comment on the possibility of a statue. “At this point in history,” said Windle, according to the AP, “is there a better example, not just in America, but in the world, of a leader who is (a) a kind, decent and passionate human being?” (Read more stories from Dolly Parton.)