Dolly Parton has voiced her "unequivocal support" for the Black Lives Matter movement in a new interview.
Speaking to Billboard, the country music icon spoke about the importance of the global anti-racism protests, saying she understands "people having to make themselves known and felt and seen".
"Of course black lives matter," she said.
"Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!"
The 'Jolene' singer, now 74 years old, also spoke about renaming her Dixie Stampede dinner attraction - which features trick horse-riders, a meal and a musical show - after learning about the historical links the word 'dixie' has to slavery in the United States.
"There's such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that," Parton said.
"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 realise that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don't be a dumbass," she continued.
"That's where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose."
Parton also addressed the COVID-19 pandemic in May when she released her song 'When Life Is Good Again', which talks about the pandemic. At the close of the music video, she included the message: "Be safe, be respectul, wear your mask, lead with love".
