A mural tribute to country singer and Tennessee countrywoman Dolly Parton and her stance on the Black Lives Matter movement originated outside a well-known music hall in Nashville.
Nashville-based artist Kim Radford painted the mural of the “Queen of Country” outside The 5 Spot on Forrest Avenue in East Nashville. The mural was completed on August 14, a day after she began painting.
“The day before I finished the mural, Dolly had a great press release about her upcoming Christmas album and her interview with Billboard. When I painted the final touches, I knew her sassy loving quote – ‘Of course black life matters. Let’s think so. “Little White a ** s the only ones who matter?” – would be a perfect finish to broadcast in my neighborhood, “Radford told CNN.
“This piece was a passion project and the timing was a happy accident along with her press.”
“I understand people need to make themselves known and felt and seen,” she said. She then used the quote that Radford eventually painted in the mural.
“And of course Black lives alive. Do we think our White a ** s are the only ones who matter? No!”
Dolly Parton: Of course Black Case lives on
The mural said she chose The 5 Spot because of its location in her own neighborhood and because it has become a first stage for many musicians who move to Nashville to pursue her music career.
“It’s a magical little diving bar and Dolly adds the mojo that this neighborhood needed,” Radford said.
A history of talking
“There is such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” she told the magazine.
“When they said ‘Dixie’ was an insulting word, I thought, ‘Well, I do not want to offend anyone. This is a company. We just call it The Stampede.’ “Once you realize that (something) is a problem, you need to fix it. Do not be a dumba **. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anyone on purpose.”
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