Parton shouldn't have to rescue rural Tenn., activist says

Dolly Parton performs at the CMA Awards in 2019
(Associated Press photo by Mark J. Terrill)

Dolly Parton has long been beloved for her philanthropy. The country music legend has given free books to young children through her Imagination Library, donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University to help develop Moderna's coronavirus vaccine, and established a bald eagle sanctuary. And she's been generous in her home of East Tennessee: she gave every student in Sevier County a $500 scholarship in 1989, raised $500,000 for a new hospital, and recently announced free tuition and books for any Dollywood theme park employee who wants to pursue a high-demand field in college.

Though Tennesseans owe Parton a debt of gratitude for her largesse, she shouldn't have to do so much to help East Tennessee, Skylar Baker-Jordan writes in a recent 100 Days in Appalachia newsletter. Instead of relying on Parton to pick up the slack, he writes, state and local laws should promote a more equitable society where such benevolence is unnecessary.

"As Appalachians well know, the problem with noblesse oblige is that it ties the fate and fortune of the working-class to the whims of their economic betters. Under our current model, in which private charity is expected to pick up the slack for the state, what is and is not funded is determined not by democratic mandate but by the impulses and interests of the wealthy. And just as the rich giveth, the rich can taketh away," Baker-Jordan writes. "Relying on private capital and capitalists – even those with hearts as big as Dolly’s – is not a viable long-term strategy for meeting society’s needs. Rather than being dependent on the benevolence of the wealthy, the people of Appalachia need a revolutionary change to our economy – one that empowers rather than indentures the working-class. No one should have to rely on the goodwill of their employer or philanthropists for education and healthcare. These basic needs should be met by society."