Fierce Femme Friday: Remembering Aretha Franklin

We know her for her amazing voice but did you know that Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, was also a Civil  Rights activist?

Born in March 1942 to Barbara Siggers Franklin and Clarence LaVaughn Franklin, a baptist preacher and noted civil rights leader. A friend and supporter of Martin Luther King, Jr., Clarence fought to end discrimination against black United Auto Workers. He was also helped to lead the Freedom March in Detriot along side Dr. King

Aretha was a supporter of Dr. King as well. As she toured the country in 1967 she raised money for his organization. Even after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Aretha continued to work in the Civil Rights Movement, including supporting The Black Panthers. A key provision in her contracts in the 1960’s was that she would not perform in front of a segregated audience. Though her most notorious show of support was for Angela Davis.

Angela Davis was a UCLA professor who in 1970 was arrested for owning the weapons used in a heist that release the Soledad brothers from their courtroom. In the ensuing break the judge and three black prisoners were killed (by the police in the crossfire).  As she was being held in solitary confinement Aretha tried to make Angela’s bail for her saying she didn’t care if it was $100,000 or $250,000. She said, “I have the money. I got it from black people – they’ve made me financially able to have it – and I want to use it in ways that will help our people.”

But her spirit of charity didn’t stop there. Without requesting attention Aretha regularly gave back to her community. Whether it be making commercials for local businesses, donating royalties from the Rock and Roll hall of fame to the local church that she grew up in to donating a year’s salary to a women’s shelter, nothing was too small for the Queen of Soul.

Though she will be remembered as an amazing musician and the definitive sound of soul we must also remember her for her commitment to her community.