isn't this a wonderful day to have the
honor for all of us to be able to be
here to celebrate and remember an
incredible woman in an incredible life
sad but joyful today the Spirit of the
Lord is in this place and Aretha
Franklin Spirit is here as well this
week our nation is laying to rest two
iconic figures it's my honor to have the
opportunity to participate here as a
wreath of Franklin's United States
Senator by the way in a while I'll fly
back to be a part of Senator John
McCain's funeral tomorrow
we are laying to rest two iconic figures
though different represent who we are as
America our to American spirit in music
and culture in love of the country in
this two days this next two days
America's big America is bold and nobody
had a bigger voice or a bolder soul than
our Reetha when I flew a United States
flag over the Capitol the day after her
passing and when a bipartisan group of
lawmakers introduced legislation to
award
Aretha the Congressional Gold Medal
which we intend to do
[Applause]
we weren't only honoring her legacy as a
musician as you know instead we were
honoring her remarkable voice a voice
that stood up for justice that stood up
for equality that stood up for civil
rights for doing the right thing for
people when you see it and when you
don't see it quietly and loudly doing
the right thing while touching the
hearts of the world I treasure each and
every opportunity I've had over the
years to witness and to be with Aretha
watching what she did best my last
opportunity to be with her was and I had
I had the opportunity to take part in
introducing her at her final Detroit
concert she was sitting in the car
before she went on Reverend Jackson was
with her it was clear that she was
struggling and she walked up the stairs
onto the stage and then Aretha took over
and did an incredible incredible concert
and I was there in 2015 at the Kennedy
Center Honors when Aretha strolled onto
the stage with jewels and furs and
flooring fur sat at the piano and
started to play and sing natural woman
and she brought President Obama to tears
as we know and in those final majestic
notes she stood up she went to the
center of the stage she tossed the fur
coat and raised her arms and brought
every single person to their feet in
that auditorium including me and I just
had to yell out Detroit is in the house
[Applause]
we've lost a legend yeah we can take
comfort in the fact that are--this voice
will always always be with us in so many
different ways Aretha Franklin was the
undisputed Queen of Soul and this city
this city is and will always be her
kingdom god bless each and every one of
you in the Franklin family
[Applause]