"Kindness is Queen!," declares the website of "RuPaul's Drag Race" star
However, this isn" t="" a="" mere="" assertion:="" West="" and="" country="" music="" legend="" Dolly="" Parton="" have="" teamed="" for="" their="" new="" Dolly="" x="" Nina="" collection,="" launching="" Wednesday="" June="" 24,="" with="" specially="" designed="" totes,="" pins,="" and="" t-shirts="" for="" purchase.="" Proceeds="" from="" the="" sales="" of="" the="" specially="" designed="" tote,="" pin,="" and="" t-shirt="" will="" benefit="" both="" Dolly="" Parton's="" Imagination="" Library="" and="" the="" Nina="" West="" Foundation. was founded in 1995, sending "free, high-quality books to children from birth until they begin school, no matter their family's income." Initially the program only served families in Sevier County, Tennessee, where Parton was raised. A successful program, the Imagination Library expanded to a national reach by 2000 and international by 2006.
The Ohio-born Andrew Levitt named after his stage persona. Levitt seized the opportunity to use his drag platform as a means of , among others.
Of the Dolly x Nina collaboration, West explained to : "Dolly is the ultimate queen of kindness and I am so thrilled that she agreed to this collaboration. We both want to spread the message that Kindness is Queen and that being kind is something that is desperately needed in our world right now."
Click here for more information on the project.
Click here for more information on .
And, click here for more information on The Nina West Foundation.
by Kevin Schattenkirk
Kevin Schattenkirk is an ethnomusicologist and pop music aficionado.
