Dolly Parton Understood Something About Power

Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at 80. There will be thousands of lovely things written about her: the songs, the rhinestones, the wit, the movies, the generosity, the astonishing durability of a career that crossed genres, generations, regions, and political identities. All of that belongs in the record.

But I keep thinking about something less obvious. She seemed to understand that dignity is not only something you express toward people. It is something you can build into the conditions under which they live, work, choose, recover, and create.