You can’t look at a screen right now without seeing fifteen tributes to Dolly Parton, and rightfully so. And we wondered if there was anything left to say.
But it would feel remiss not to say something here. Because when we think about the kind of people we hope to celebrate in these pages, Dolly embodied so much of it.
She gave. A lot. Often quietly. She put millions of books into the hands of children who might not otherwise have them. She supported people and communities who needed it without making herself the center of the story. She seemed to understand something that can get lost in philanthropy: helping people isn’t about getting credit for helping people.
But what I keep coming back to is that Dolly wasn’t universally loved because she stayed silent. Quite the opposite.
She was clear about what she believed. She believed in educating children. She believed people deserved dignity and equality. She spoke up, even when she knew the people listening might not agree with her. And somehow, she
managed to hold firmly to her convictions without making everyone on the other side feel like an enemy.
That feels increasingly rare.
She also refused to let anyone else define her. People made jokes about her appearance, her intelligence, her accent, her clothes, and she usually managed to beat them to the punch. She knew exactly who she was. She could laugh at herself without ever diminishing herself.
There’s something pretty powerful in that.
We talk a lot about community, and sometimes that word can start to feel a little overused. But Dolly’s life was a pretty remarkable example of what it can actually mean. Stand for something. Give where you can. Make room for people. Don’t be afraid to speak up. And maybe don’t take yourself too seriously along the way.
So yes, this is another tribute to Dolly. We couldn’t imagine September without one.
Your neighbors,
Shaleen and Sam DeStefano