Dolly Parton Speaks Out On Black Lives Matter, ‘It Is Not My Place To Judge’

She has made an entire career that pays homage to her Southern roots. However. Dolly Parton is making it clear that she doesn’t hold values that are still often associated with the region’s past.

In a new interview with Billboard, the “9 to 5” singer, who also owns and operates the Dollywood Amusement park, discussed the current political climate surrounding race, which has been kicked back into the spotlight following the May murder of George Floyd by a white police officer. Though she hasn’t voiced political opinions often in the past and hasn’t attended any protests or marches, Parton, 74, made it clear that her heart is with those who are demanding more equality for people of color.

“I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” she said. “And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white [expletive] are the only ones that matter? No!”

Though she knows voicing her support for the movements could alienate some of her fanbase, Parton went on to explain that while it is also good business sense for her, her thoughts come more from a place with her faith, and she feels that judging anyone—whether for skin color or their beliefs—is wrong.

“First of all, I’m not a judgmental person. I do believe we all have a right to be exactly who we are, and it is not my place to judge,” she said. “All these good Christian people that are supposed to be such good Christian people, the last thing we’re supposed to do is to judge one another. God is the judge, not us. I just try to be myself. I try to let everybody else be themselves.”

It isn’t the first time she has also hinted at her thoughts on such matters, as she also recalled when she chose to change the name of her Dixie Stampede dinner attraction to Dolly Parton’s Stampede, stating that she never intends to offend or hurt anyone.

“When they said ‘Dixie’ was an offensive word, I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to offend anybody. This is a business. We’ll just call it The Stampede.’ As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don’t be a [expletive]. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”

Following her comments, several fans took to social media to praise the star for what she said.

Fans of the singer can show their appreciation for her when her new holiday album, “A Holly Dolly Christmas” which features duets with Michael Buble, Willie Nelson and Miley Cyrus, drops Oct. 2.