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Page 2 August 22, 2018 Aretha Franklin’s Powerful Legacy Funeral services to span four days Funeral services for the undisputed “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin will span four days, with two public viewings available to her fans and community. Franklin, a cultural icon around the goble who sang with matchless style on such classics as “Think,” ‘’I Say a Lit- tle Prayer” and her signature song, “Re- spect,” died Thursday at her home in De- troit from pancreatic cancer. She was 76. Franklin will lie in state in two loca- tions with the first viewing to take place at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History from Aug. 28-29. A second public viewing will take place on Aug. 30 at Franklin’s lifelong church, New Bethel Baptist, founded by her father, the late Rev. C.L. Franklin. Aretha Franklin’s funeral will be held Aug. 31, also in her hometown of De- troit. Franklin left not only a powerful lega- cy for her songs, but also for civil rights. Former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama offered their condo- lences and remembrances: “Through her compositions and un- The undisputed “Queen of Soul,” singer Aretha Franklin, died Thursday after a long illness. matched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade—our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance. “Michelle and I send our prayers and warmest sympathies to her family and all those moved by her song.” The NAACP, the nation’s leading civ- il rights organization issued a statement, “We remember Aretha for the joy and love she brought into our lives and society via her powerful voice,” said NAACP Chair- man Leon W. Russell. “No one can dis- cuss the civil rights movement nor music without paying respect to the Queen of Soul. We’ll miss her dearly.” The NAACP pointed out how Franklin not only revolutionized the sound of mu- Constructing Hope Pre-Apprenticeship Program Free 10 week Training; classroom instruction, hands-on building & construction experience, certifications and job placement assistance Apply Now! Call (503) 281-1234 • Next session begins September 4th sic during her career, she contributed to the changing of our society from a seg- regated one to one where all people, men and women were equal. Her chart-topping hit Respect became the De facto anthem for a nation strug- gling to break free from the chains of rac- ism, segregation and a staunch patriarchy. Not only did she lend her voice to the struggle, but at times and in substantial ways, donated money to the Civil Rights Movement, supporting the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the NAACP and others, NAACP officials said. “What would our struggle or American society be without the music of Aretha?” asked NAACP President and CEO Der- rick Johnson. “Her unmitigated ‘Black- ness’ and contributions to art and national progress places her on the Mt. Everest of American icons who changed this society for the better.” The civil rights organization presented the Vanguard Award to @ArethaFranklin back in 2008 for her role in advancing awareness of racial and social issues. Franklin sang at Obama’s inauguration as the first black president and often used her talent, fortune and platform to inspire millions of black Americans and support the fight for racial equality. “She not only provided the soundtrack for the civil rights movement, Aretha’s music transcended race, nationality and religion and helped people from all back- grounds to recognize what they had in common,” said longtime civil rights lead- er the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery. Franklin was a close confidante of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and her com- mitment to civil rights was instilled by her father, who also knew King and preached C ontinueD on P age 5 Hardesty Releases Tax Records 405 NE Church Street, Portland, OR 97211 • www.contructinghope .org Established 1970 USPS 959 680 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 CALL 503-288-0033 • FAX 503-288-0015 P ublisher : e ditor : Mark Washington, Sr. Michael Leighton A dvertising M AnAger : PO QR code The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association. Office Manager/Classifieds: C reAtive d ireCtor : Leonard Latin Lucinda Baldwin Paul Neufeldt P ubliC r elAtions : Mark Washington Jr. news@portlandobserver.com • ads@portlandobserver.comn • subscription@portlandobserver.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer , PO Box 3137 , Portland, OR 97208 Portland City Council Candidate Jo Ann Hardesty released her business tax records for the past three years last week in re- sponse to criticism from her election op- ponent Loretta Smith that Hardesty failed to register her consulting business with the city and state. According to a published report, the re- cords showed Hardesty paid federal income and self-employment taxes on $33,448 of income from her consulting business, but did not make enough money to be subject to Portland or Multnomah County business taxes. Hardesty called Smith’s allegation, which raised questions about whether she owned back taxes for her business activ- ities, “slinging mud,” while the Smith campaign on Sunday again called for more thorough tax records spanning the entire 17 years Hardesty has operated a consult- ing businesses, as well as any government contracts she acquired in that time.