It takes a village to raise a child.

Most of us have heard, said and believed this timeless proverb our entire lives. Dolly Parton lived it.

Born on January 19, 1946, in a one-bedroom cabin in Pittman Center, Tennessee, Parton eventually became known as the Queen of Country. She and her 11 siblings were raised near the Great Smoky Mountains in a home that reportedly had no running water or electricity. She is said to have written her first song at age 6 and released her first studio album at 21. At the time of her death yesterday, Parton had released an astounding 49 studio albums, won 11 Grammy Awards (including a 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award) and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Her accomplishments extended far beyond country music. She was also an impressive actress. Steel Magnolias, the 1989 hit film that she starred in as the memorable role of Trudy, a big-hearted yet savvy hair salon owner, is one of my all-time favorite movies. I cry every single time I watch it. She was also an astute businesswoman which is worth acknowledging as she entered the entertainment industry in a time when women were expected to simply “be pretty and sing”. Parton built a massive, multi-hundred-million-dollar empire by maintaining strict control over her intellectual property and expanding into other forms of entertainment beyond music like tourism and consumer goods.

Not bad for a woman born in the 1940s in a rural Southern town with a population of about 400 people.

But the most inspiring and lasting impression Dolly Parton left on me has nothing to do with her music accolades, admirable business moves or even her stance on Black Lives Matter (although her frankness on the movement was refreshing). What is far more moving is the Imagination Library she founded in 1995. Every month for three decades, this organization gifted books to children at no cost to them or their families. To date, more than 3 million books have been gifted (completely free) to children across the globe. Parton was inspired to start Imagination Library because of her own father’s inability to read and write. Parton explained on her site:

“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.

The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”

Before anyone attempts to come for me: I am not, and never will be, one of those people who fawns over White folks after they give a Black person something they should already had in the first place. This ain’t that. Parton always appeared authentic and sincere in her desire to share her wealth, resources and access with others. She was unapologetically a White woman with blue eyes from the sticks in Tennessee who never tried to hide her thick country accent, her humble upbringing or her love of a good push-up bra, a fully beat face and hair bleaching. And that is a huge part of what made her likeable and relatable to so many. She was who she was whether she was with Whitney Houston or Beyoncé or a group of lily-White soccer mom fans at her DollyWood theme amusement park.

While it is nearly impossible to quantify just how many children in our communities received books through Imagination Library (IL), I am filled with gratitude and joy knowing that there are some who did. And whether that number is in the hundreds or the hundreds of thousands, it means so much. We know how powerful of a tool literacy is, especially for our little ones. Children’s books are truly a gift that keeps on giving. Studies consistently show that early reading increases brain development, language skills and emotional growth.

And before anyone attempts to come for me (again), I am just as happy that White children in Scarsdale, NY received IL books as I am about Black children in Compton, CA receiving them. I also happen to know first-hand that the scales are quite imbalanced when it comes to strong literacy access in our communities. Long before I began covering books and authors for ESSENCE, my first job while in high school was at a library. I began taking my now 7-year-old son to our local library for Mother Goose story time when he was 3 months old. My childhood was immersed in books as is my son’s but some of us don’t feel like libraries are safe spaces. Let’s not pretend we don’t at least know some of the reasons why. And when gas and grocery prices are at an astronomical high and the job market sucks, anything given to a Black child to boost their growth and development while easing the financial strain for their parents is most appreciated.

Once our babies discover the power of a good book, they’re all in! Books can allow our children to see beyond their block, their borough or their social media timeline. You can travel to the rainforests of Brazil and the snowcapped mountains of Nepal within the same week without ever getting on a plane with the right books. Our youth learn about animals, superheroes or life in the midwest during the early-1800s through books. How amazing is it that Parton took advantage of an opportunity to expose children, who might not have had the means otherwise, to the beauty of books? And to do it monthly for 30 years? That is absolutely remarkable.

It is also worth noting that Parton did not have biological children of her own. However, she still went out of her way to pour into the lives of millions of children, most of whom she never met or even saw, in such an intentional way. How can one not respect this?

Dolly Parton, you will be missed but your positive impact will inspire the world for generations. Sleep well.

Author: Bridgette Bartlett Royall

Read the original article on Essence.