Memorial and funeral plans have been announced for Detroit’s own Queen of Soul.
Arethan Franklin will lie in state at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on August 28 and 29. The viewing will be open to the public.
That will be followed by a private funeral at Greater Grace Temple on August 30.
Franklin will then be entombed alongside her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, and siblings Erma, Carolyn and Cecil at Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
The plans come as Franklin’s native city debates future plans to memorialize the music legend, who died Thursday in her Detroit home at age 76.
Detroit schools superintendent Nikolai Vitti suggested on Twitter that it might be time to name a school after Franklin.
The world lost a genius yesterday. Time to name one of our schools after Aretha Franklin?
— Nikolai Vitti (@Dr_Vitti) August 17, 2018
Vitti later put out this statement about the idea:
"Looking across the names of our schools, ?I see opportunities to strengthen and better represent our city's rich history while also improving our schools' branding. Aretha Franklin's name would certainly accomplish this, but this is my own sentimental and strategic thought that would require extensive community and school board engagement and consideration."
Franklin attended Detroit's Northern High School.
