On August 16, we lost a musical legend. Aretha Franklin — the "Queen of Soul" and the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — passed away at age 76, surrounded by her friends and family at her home in Detroit, Michigan.
Aretha Franklin's powerful voice, musical artistry, and dedication to social and racial justice has been a huge inspiration to people around the world — but she holds an especially iconic place for residents of her favorite city, Detroit. The City's Public School chief recently tweeted about her loss and said: "Time to name one of our schools after Aretha Franklin?" — and I couldn't agree more!
That's why I'm calling on the city of Detroit to honor Aretha Franklin by renaming a school in her honor. Please sign and share to make this a reality!
Aretha Franklin is not only a global legend — she's an essential part of Detroit's history. Franklin lived in Detroit most of her life, first sang gospel at Detroit's New Bethel Baptist Church on Linwood and Philadelphia — and she even attended Northern Senior High School in Detroit's east side.
It would be amazing for Detroit's students to see Aretha Franklin's name every day on their school building —encouraging them to reach for the stars, live their potential, and always fight back against injustice.
Aretha Franklin gave so much to us all, and it would be great for the city she loved so much to honor her once again by naming a school in after her.
Please sign my petition calling on Detroit's mayor and Detroit Public Schools Community District to rename a school after Aretha Franklin!
