08/28/2026
I remember when we mourned Princess Diana. The world grieved together, but so much of that grief was mixed with anger.
I remember when we mourned Michael Jackson. Millions grieved, but for many, that grief was complicated by controversy, questions and divided feelings.
But Dolly feels different.
Left, right and center. Across race, religion, gender and generations, people who seem to disagree about almost everything are mourning the same woman.
And today, seeing flags lowered to half-staff in her honor, I realized what makes this moment so extraordinary.
The flag is lowered in mourning, but somehow Dolly has lifted something else — our sense of common humanity.
For one brief moment, the arguments seem quieter. The divisions seem smaller. We simply agree that the world has lost someone who gave us music, laughter, generosity, kindness and joy.
Perhaps that is Dolly Parton’s final gift to us:
a reminder that beneath everything that divides us, we are still capable of coming together.
