August 28, 2026
Dolly Rebecca Parton-Dean taught the world that poverty is not a reproach. Not a DNA or a sin. In fact, that it can be a badge of honour worn with pride.
In her 1971 classic “Coat of Many Colours” she stitched a true story of poverty with the Biblical story of Joseph and presented humanity unforgettable lyrics. The “coat” was a biblical story of love, preference and anointment. But the Parton coat was parchment sewn with love and worn proudly by a child. Although the coat was sewn from rags with patches on her britches and holes in her shoes, the child could not see her odd appearance. When her mates laughed at her, she recalled the love with which her mother sewed the coat, went on the offensive and tried to turn the tables. She told her schoolmates that the rags she wore were “worth more than all their clothes.” She then moved from the psychological offensive to philosophical grounds. She posited: “That one is only poor only if they choose to be.” This in reality is not correct, as poverty is an economic reality, and one is not poor out of choice but because of varied factors, especially the prevalent socio-economic system. In other words, poverty is not a democratic choice but an imposition, as it is unusual for anyone to choose poverty. The rare cases in history include Prince Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), who abandoned royal riches to live the life of a mendicant, and St Francis of Assisi, who for religious reasons renounced his family wealth to embrace poverty.
