Thank You Bishop as you heard we call
him first give a big hand to Bishop
Ellis brought my program up here Tyler
Perry tried to buy it so I wouldn't sell
it to him I better keep it in my hand oh
isn't this a great privilege to be able
to participate in the homegoing of the
woman who has been named by every
credible source as the greatest singer
of all times isn't it a great privilege
God has blessed us to be here
you're our met sister Aretha back in the
80s around the Jackson campaign I met
her through Reverend Jackson in the 88
campaign and later on with Mayor Coleman
Young when I was working with him he
made sure that any needs she might have
we address it because she was addressing
every need citizens of Detroit had and
then she had a early her sister-in-law
bring me to her events and we got to
know each other a little more and then
once I became a public figure who had a
platform to make a difference in the
struggle for silver rights and politics
she embraced me as a friend and my wife
and I would travel various places with
her as some here would and quite frankly
that showed a lot of strength in her we
all nor of the endurance that she has
bared through the loss of her father and
her siblings but I personally observed a
different type of strength that she
wanted to portray to the public you know
several years ago there were a lot of
there was a lot of speculation about her
health all throughout the country the
radio saying nonsense things they don't
know about I never asked and those
friends and family of hers never asked
because they knew not to ask
she wanted to make a point first we I
believe we were in Washington DC when
she first wanted to make her point we
were there one of the honors she was
receiving and so she said Greg let's go
to lunch get your wife and let's all go
to lunch where I come meet me at the
Four Seasons sister Rhea at the Four
Seasons and have us a very I think it
was a Sunday we're gonna have us a great
brunch shoes such as such so we're all
there she said ok come on Greg and we
get to I say she said we're gonna walk a
half a mile down to the Johnny Rockets
enjoy we walk to Johnny Rockets and she
didn't stumble a bit and everybody
stopped and waved and the radios next
they had to talk about how she was
walking with the strength of a lioness
and then lastly we were going to a
Pistons game indeed we went to a Pistons
game and Isiah Thomas and this is
perhaps a few years ago as well and she
wanted everyone to know that the
speculation about her health was wrong
and so we went and we were courtside and
Reverend was with us and I was with him
well however you want to make reference
to it and LeBron James comes over and
speaks to it we're on the floor and so
she says from I don't know whether it
was a coca-cola a bite so I think I want
to go and get something to eat or a bite
or a drink okay I thought we go all go
and just around the stadium perhaps or
send someone to get it she said no I
want to walk to the top of the arena let
these folks know how I really feel so we
proceeded to walk from courtside to the
top of the arena to show that her hell
was better than mine and make you all
who couldn't walk to the top of that
arena from courtside and so she always
wanted folks to know her strength and
she they cut my mic somebody going to
jail y'all know play that I'm gonna take
these 60 seconds but but don't get
yourself in trouble but I was privileged
to receive her advice and counsel in the
area of politics and silver rights as
you all know that she was deep in that
and she wanted me to use my public life
in that manner and so one time we were
discussing some of the many things that
we come about and she asked me about
Reverend Jackson yeah you talked to your
buddy well you talked to the good
Reverend that means she wasn't getting
along with him you know like like
siblings do then a couple months later I
talked to her hey I talked to Jesse
that's all he must be doing what she
wants him to do he's marching for this
he's doing the great job so she would
call me quite frequently about monthly
and I most for the most part had to wait
on her call because the few times I call
her I'd get my feelings hurt because her
number had been changed and so I have to
wait those two months or months or
however long before she would called me
and give me the new number but when she
did she always spoke to me about how to
use my platform to fight for our people
indeed our last conversation our last
conversation
I probably shouldn't speak on this but
because the governor was here earlier
but our last conversation was about the
Flint water crisis where we know now
that the governor's office ordered that
the city of Flint be taken over
they changed the water supply and it
poisoned the people so we talked about
how in the last couple of months they
stopped distributing bottled water have
not replaced the pipes of maybe 5% but
distributing bottled water so we
discussed it they stopped distributing
the water great I said well yes history
I may have to get on up there and fight
again and such I say but you know they
got me a little bit last time on
television they said the judge he either
you or you out order that's natural
fight stay on television and he he and
haha and entertain us so I said I don't
know read she said you're supposed to be
from Detroit what you scared of so in
that vein her last words to me were
taken and this is the honesty this is
honestly the case her last words were
taken from the greatest song cease
perform and somehow it made me feel that
she respected me because the words she
gave when I told her okay I'll go back
up there
she said yeah Greg you go back up there
and you
Sakhi tool so in honor of my sister I'm
going to Flint and I'm a socket or
socket or socket or
[Applause]