A Detroit post office has changed its name in honor of Aretha Franklin.
On Monday, friends, family members, and elected officials all gathered outside the former Fox Creek post office to celebrate its new name — the Aretha Franklin Post Office Building, according to New York Daily News. Among those in attendance was Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich, who was a former postal worker and who introduced the bill to rename the post office. Former President Donald Trump passed the bill in January.
"Her legacy lives on in her music, in her family," Lawrence said "But we have added to that list of her legacy: A post office with her name on it."
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich, was also present at the official dedication ceremony.
"Sometimes people wonder if Congress can come together," he said. "Congress can come together when it comes to standing up and recognizing this amazing person."
Franklin died in her Detroit home at the age of 76 in 2018. She has been the subject of numerous books and documentaries, most recently the "Genius: Aretha" miniseries, which delves into the dramatic past of the music legend. In March, Franklin's family called for a boycott of the biopic, which forms part of National Geographic's anthology series "Genius," and includes family scandals such as depictions of an alleged sexual relationship between Aretha's father, C.L. Franklin, and a 12-year-old girl. Franklin's family said they were not involved in the filmmaking process.
"We do not support this film and we ask that you also do not support this film, as we feel extremely disrespected and we feel that there will be many inaccuracies about my grandmother's life. Thank you," said Franklin's granddaughter, Grace, in a video posted on Tik Tok.
"This is about common, decent respect for our family," Grace's father, Kecalf, noted in an interview with Rolling Stone. "If I was to do a movie on your family, I would try and speak with you, your sons, daughters, grandchildren and people like that. And we just never felt like we got a shot to speak to them freely from my heart about our family member."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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