pray
this celebration was not a party
the ruse is not lost
we know where she is she's being to move
the prayer Thanksgiving a God's bless us
to witness a powerful expression of His
goodness today Britos owners Barrett
Brown for 60 years bow his in prayer
accept our petition their God such a
harsh in the always make us better never
better
move treat for the journey
thank you for Reverend C L Franklin
thank you for Rita
Irma Carolyn Cecil bringing them my way
for the joy of thy gifts lessons they've
learned and listens they've shared some
of us leave this place today better
often when we came we fall down but get
back up again because the ground is no
place with champions and so we rise to
higher Heights amen
I was asked by the offender to give some
personal reflections
no no reason almost 60 years a lot of
reflecting I won't
Sabrina to stand again after these
months of decline and going down the
hill the one who put all this stuff
together has been supreme good Sabrina
began with you please
visit her at least once a month and
every time I was there it was we better
do us a part of God he was awesome
understand again give him a beginning
cousin Brenda Brenda just singing said
early give another big hand
there's no one's been Lukas's in the
world you will the beginning you will
well he's been standing will be Bella
truth I was wanted and the pastor a
sense think the the funeral home
a wreath was very sick to her then I was
suspected we should not open the body
but this funeral home just once indeed
Beltran men's job they can't vote Neil
Swanson's family the Campanile Swanson's
family last we can't think too much for
she's among the living yet among us
other than for Maxine Waters Maxine
stand again please
three of my children think it today
because this is a family affair my son
just a Jackson jr. and Santee de and dr.
Jackie Jackson is the Holy Trinity to
stand before you today paint would stand
before Rita this hour of celebration one
under the family's wishes and protocol
and keep my remarks brief as I can but
it is about reflections and I want to
give the room for Reverend Jasper
Williams one of the most refined
preachers about time
Reverend CR Franklin's journals was
conducted by Reverend Williams and he
maintains that authority and the family
has went to the next phase of the
phenomenal Aretha Franklin this must be
seared and done built on this legacy
that can't be a purpose here today death
has caused another on plan I found the
reunion we wouldn't be here Aretha was
not there today when you have death too
much power we should be able to call
each other and have a meeting like this
and share I was here for the Rosa Parks
funeral and watch long lines at the
Museum the Rosa Parks long lines for
recent long lines today we have long
lines to celebrate death and short lines
for voting
[Applause]
we lost Michigan by 11,000 votes 100,000
Detroit unregistered long lines at the
death of the icons and short life
support think something is missing too
many of us from the deep south before
internet and before the night the TV
shows before dr. King and Rosa Parks
that was Jet magazine the National black
newspapers and WC Nashville Tennessee
every Sunday night 11 o'clock
big horse aliens from Nashville Apollo
no an hour of C L Franklin he was our
hero the traditional sermons eagle
stirreth and s prodigal son in the
conflict he said tonight I'm not going
to preach someone introduce my daughter
and she can sing it's not just my
daughter's my dad depends she could
really sing so hear me and really saying
never were old rubbing Billy Kyle's
whose home dr. King was on the way to
visit when he was killed
was doing the revival in New Bethel at
that time he gave the varistor Aretha
the herds of a land on the far way
strand does the beautiful home of the
soul builders Jesus on the high where we
never shall die Elena will never grow it
was a dog Sunday night in South Carolina
it was real dog stars shine was clearly
that Nana star was born somewhere
between Nashville and eternity we heard
a voice from heaven
14 years old Aretha was our queen she
belonged and belongs to us she's blessed
to have the powerful gift of singing
perhaps the most remarkable voice unique
the world has ever heard a Torah
Toscanini the Italian conductor said of
Marion Anderson that a voice like merit
has heard once in a thousand years
a reasons in that zone of once in a
thousand years and she did not shy away
from alpha Maria from that point on she
only required that because a reason
reference enters school and she took
music lessons cultivating the warmth and
the womb of was soulful singers of our
time New Bethel say I'm cooking the so
stairs Clara ward in the ward singers
Mabus and pops staples deserve she came
on that lou rawls in the pilgrim
travelers may the most o'clock I were
talking the Dixon hummingbirds
Alex grants are too close Cissy Houston
witness mother singing the background
the wunens and ribbon free the gospel
hum Annette's Mahalia Jackson Dinah
Washington the captain spiritual the
Mighty Clouds of Joy and joan de god
ribbons ain't even directed the quiet
and the bethel i really came out of this
room reverend Gaither and reverently
evident she had the gifts but she had an
environment that alone itself to her
developing she's baptized and singing
struggling service and 1942 when she was
born not in Detroit
she's born on the Mississippi River in
Memphis Tennessee
the river that carried our people up and
down for 26 years
where does the reason soul come from the
Mississippi River and its cradle between
Tennessee and Arkansas Mississippi 23
blacks were lynched
in Tennessee four and then a two in
Arkansas 654 in Mississippi she was 13
when immaterial and that's whether such
civil rights commitment coming she had
money and could not buy ice cream and
the corn could not stop to buy gasoline
the reason came out of the bowels of our
struggle her father lived the big March
in Detroit 1963 did the groundwork for
dr. King who stated his home until march
on Washington along with Harry Belafonte
dr. King was facing bankruptcy we
couldn't go any further
was the money coming from couldn't win
from the banks black benches to small
white banks with very hostile and so we
did Harry Belafonte said we're taking 11
say the tour raise money and give you
the money we thought the king was so
unpopular under such attack we couldn't
we couldn't fill up and all the torrent
decides with Aretha Franklin and Harry
Belafonte step on the stage in Houston
Texas on that stage they put tear gas
and the fan where the evacuate the
building
she kept rather on singing she's saying
for Carla
Mandela Clinton Obama but she fellas
conversing of Albertina Walker
because after all before we had this
level of technology there was a
Albertina Walker and sure this season
mr. George in the same group called the
parabens
I was called last week to series I've
met with but at least a month the last
three years she called me the night
Jackie would say get the phone Cerritos
on the phone we talked to the fire with
prayer while in crying while when I came
last Wednesday a reason was in the coma
and not being able to wake up a move in
some days and I was with early and I
said baby baby shopping her eyes I wrote
the ones over her hand one more time
system fluency it was a hard goodbye we
came back that night was Sabrina and had
another friend he was hurt
my father's riffle playing in the
background I thought it's a left the
last time
Shakespeare said when friends she shall
die took her hand and cut up in little
stars and she will make the heavens so
fine that all the world will be in love
wasn't night Arista had the power to
make the film directors cry she just saw
was a very deep and profound kind of way
that she got sick of we were talking
more and more as she called me at night
and are you coming I see yes I'm
bringing I'm not
brain region only bothered great
inside joke
would the four or five hospitals as she
was fighting this cancer thing and to
cap off singing and service she went to
New York knowing that she had pancreatic
cancer she was there in the bus yep
Elton John in the AIDS victims there's a
signature moment in our life all the
times have been straight seam on our own
situation and yes she was there she
asked me to give her our favorite
testimony it was that when I was a kid
grew up in South Carolina I wonder why
she was always talking saying never
never roll never grow Archie Brown be a
great singer for the Blind Boys
single-wire Archer came his last trip
and said I'm drinking liquor tonight I'm
not an alcoholic but I had before stage
of cancer and I don't have any insurance
the liquors anesthesia's for my pain and
say y'all forgive me for drinking I
don't mean to disrespect you he had this
dog she's on his tap he said let me sing
a couple of songs for you said hey I
know you cancer I'm drinking another
trumpet I'm just drinking for pain he
said but y'all talk about blue skies I
was born without eyes I'd never seen the
Blue Ridge Rose I've never seen The Rose
I can touch it
my wife is good I've never seen my
wife's face I know about the country of
her face and my children I know them by
the sound the voice and the path of
defeat but don't feel sorry because I'm
blind
and have cancer I am going across the
river I heard there's a man over there
was giving sight to the blind
he's curing cancer when you hit that
point in your life but the man is one
over there than over here
a few months ago and I read that was
very afraid for me with it now said I
had Parkinson's the older you get these
diseases that come out of nowhere it
seems but let me say to you today who
the living this is not a far reaching
business boss if you leave for the day
and not register voters on the Laurita
[Applause]
you've heard all this thing and don't
feel something something wrong with you
I don't want to say then we met we were
maybe 15 years old I'm now 77078 and a
few weeks
Parkins is in trouble
I have to face the doctor said
Parkinson's will knock you down in will
but as a god dude the doctor doctors
don't fear these diseases and you're
getting ready to change your clothes and
move into a different transition I can
see now with a level of certain that
couldn't have years ago I once was young
I've travelled to China travel to Japan
and traveler Carribean all around the
world I've seen I met work with dr. King
work with Mandela I was seen a lot in
Belize but I've never seen the righteous
forsaken
nah this seed Bigfoot bread
just sleep all the redundant see you in
the morning
[Applause]