Dolly Parton was an icon.Â
This was not only because of her reputable music career, but for everything that she did for others. Parton was a participant of global philanthropy, giving back to communities through COVID-19 medical relief, disaster relief after floods and promoting childhood literacy through her Imagination Library. Even her amusement park, Dollywood, which I have tragically never had the fortune of visiting, provides workers with child care and benefits that actually support people.
Her philanthropy spread beyond money. Her gift of books provided knowledge and literacy, one of the most critical skills a person can have. When looking towards the fact that impoverished children are usually illiterate due to their lack of resources, the 300 million children that she was able to influence with her Imagination Library broke stereotypes. She gave them the gift of curiosity which will last them a lifetime.
Beyond the surface of donation, she had the presence and attitude of a “hard working American woman.” When she was born, her life was worth nothing more than a sack of cornmeal, how much her family paid for her birth. It was through grit and determination that she managed to make herself worth millions. With a net worth of 420 million dollars, she was more than a country singer, she was a business woman in her own right.
Parton was a figurehead for women like myself to look up to when struggling with the question … “Should I further my career, or should I have a family?” Her music often carried a message within her lyrics that spoke on more than just the tiring repetitiveness of working a nine to five job. Her lyrics highlighted sexual harassment, unfair pay and the lack of respect that women face in the daily work place. Her music gave a voice to female workers in the 1980s, and a voice that still rings out, even after she is gone.
Current celebrities such as Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Paul McCartney all paid tribute to Parton and the impact that she made on music. Her death shook the world and it was because of the influence she had.Â
I think the true power that Parton held was her ability to be authentic. She never felt shameful about anything she did, and even with a mass amount of fame, she stayed true to herself. Everything she strived for was bred out of her own values, and that is the mark of a true leader, someone who is willing to share their knowledge and resources with others. In a world that has become so focused on individual self interest, Parton was a woman of the people.
When picturing my future in the business world, the thought of not becoming a boss or earning high wages just because I was born a woman doesn’t even cross my mind, and that is a luxury that activists like Parton fought for me to have. Even after Parton’s death, it is important that her legacy remains and that every woman continues fighting for what she believed in. We cannot change the past, but we can alter the future that Dolly Parton started.