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Hearing the news about Ms. Franklin in hospice was heartbreaking as I didn’t know that she was gravely ill. When the news broke about the passing of our beloved Queen Ms. Aretha Franklin. It felt as though I was hit by a ton of bricks. I just didn’t want it to be true. Then my daughter called me, “Mama,” she said. “Aretha Franklin died.” In a whispered voice she asked,” Are you ok?” I immediately felt a lump in my throat and said, “Yes, I’m fine; I’ve gotta go.”
Seeing young, old, black and white in solidarity expressing condolences for our Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin was indescribable. Television anchors fighting back tears, her famous friends sharing moments of their private time with her after having visited in her final days. When Stevie Wonder became emotional during an interview with Gayle King, that’s when the waterworks began for me. I also began to watch various interviews throughout her career and observed that Ms. Franklin too, a force in strong support of civil rights had the world as her stage.
She mastered public speaking and interview etiquette. It’s a pity that everyone that has the attention of the entire world has yet to learn the fundamentals of public speaking and common decency when making public statements. Subsequently, making it difficult to differentiate from that of a simpleton. I know that Ms. Franklin is a national treasure. Her contribution to history is undisputed. We celebrate her life with all the respect due to a queen.
