petition asking for statues of Dolly Parton to replace controversial Confederate monuments is gaining traction online.

Alex Parsons is petitioning the Tennessee State House, Tennessee State Senate and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee via Change, org, calling for Parton's likeness to replace all of the old monuments of Confederate generals and key figures from the Confederacy that still stand in numerous locations across the state of Tennessee.

"History should not be forgotten, but we need not glamorize those who do not deserve our praise," Parsons argues. "Instead, let us honor a true Tennessee hero, Dolly Parton."

The petition cites Parton's musical contributions, as well as her charity efforts in providing books to underprivileged children, her support of the Red Cross and her recent donation to help support finding a cure for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

"Dolly Parton has given more to this country and this state than those confederate officers could ever have hoped to take away," Parsons states, concluding, "Let's replace the statues of men who sought to tear this country apart with a monument to the woman who has worked her entire life to bring us closer together."

Parsons has collected more than 13,000 signatures for his petition as of Tuesday morning (June 16), getting him most of the way to his goal of 15,000 supporters.

Confederate monuments have come under scrutiny again in recent days after a wave of national protests following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis in May. The backlash from a viral video that shows the officer kneeling on Floyd's neck for several minutes after he is unresponsive has touched off a new round of civil unrest across the U.S.

Parton has not commented publicly on the petition.

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