Some artists make music for themselves. Aretha Franklin created art to empower those around her. With her powerful voice and passion for justice, Franklin touched millions of lives, using both her voice and her platform to strive for lasting change.

In the early 1960s, growing pockets of America began to fight against systems of legalized segregation and sexism. Franklin played a role in those social movements and powerfully embodied the intersection of blackness and womanhood, with her song “Respect” becoming incredibly popular.

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As an artist, she vowed to never perform for a segregated audience. She regularly hosted free concerts, provided housing for civil rights activists, participated in voter registration drives and aided in fundraising efforts. Her performance at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. is widely regarded as one of the most memorable moments in both music and civil rights history.

The list of Franklin’s accomplishments is nearly endless. Former Detroit Mayor Jerome P. Cavanagh declared Feb. 16, 1968 “Aretha Franklin Day,” with the award presented to her by King himself. In 1979, she became one of the first black women to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Eight years later, she was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Mastering a unique fusion of gospel, R&B and soul, her career took off with the iconic album “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You,” which included the hit tracks “Respect,” “A Natural Woman” and “Soul Serenade.” Until last year, her 73 songs held the record for the most “Hot 100” hits by a female artist. Her profound influence over the evolution of music since then has gone unrivaled. Legendary singer Mary J. Blige summed it up perfectly when she said, “(Franklin) is the reason why women want to sing.”

The artist was formally honored for her activism in 2005 when she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Four years later, Franklin performed at the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States. Recalling Franklin, Obama later said, “American history wells up when Aretha sings. Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll — the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope.”

Throughout her 60-year career, she won 18 Grammy awards, was named by Rolling Stone Magazine as the greatest vocalist of all time and earned the title of “Queen of Soul.” She pioneered both the soul and Motown sounds, while setting a precedent for black artists to make music that doubled as social commentary. She used her powerful voice as a singer and an activist to make a lasting impact on her community.

Aretha Franklin is an icon, a vanguard and a hero.

Jalen Nash is a junior political science major. His music column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email him at janash@syr.edu or follow him on Twitter @ja_nash3.

Published on August 20, 2018 at 9:18 am