III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 615 

Honoring the life and legacy of Aretha Franklin and the contributions of 

Aretha Franklin to music, civil rights, and the City of Detroit. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 22, 2018 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. BROWN, Mr. CARPER, Mr. 

COONS, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. JONES, Mr. NELSON, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. WARREN, Ms. SMITH, Mr. BENNET, Mr. DONNELLY, Ms. HASSAN, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, 

Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. HEITKAMP, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. 

GILLIBRAND, Mr. MERKLEY, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. KAINE, 

Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. REED, and Mr. CORKER) submitted 

the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of Aretha Franklin and the 

contributions of Aretha Franklin to music, civil rights, 

and the City of Detroit. 

Whereas Aretha Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in 

Memphis, Tennessee; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 

1946, at the age of 4; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin began a career singing gospel at 

the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan; 


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Whereas Aretha Franklin traveled with Dr. Martin Luther 

King, Jr., across the country as Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr., preached nonviolence in the movement for civil 

rights; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin was an active supporter of the civil 

rights movement and her song ‘‘Respect’’ became an anthem for the civil rights movement and the women’s 

movement; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin is most known for her powerful 

songs such as ‘‘Respect’’, ‘‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A 

Natural Woman’’, ‘‘Spanish Harlem’’, and ‘‘Think’’; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin was known as the ‘‘Queen of Soul’’ 

and on January 3, 1987, became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin has won 18 Grammy Awards and 

sold over 75,000,000 records worldwide; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Michigan 

Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001, the United Kingdom’s 

Music Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Gospel Music Association’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012; 

Whereas in June 2017 the City of Detroit honored Aretha 

Franklin with a key to the City and renamed a segment 

of Madison Avenue in downtown Detroit ‘‘Aretha Franklin Way’’; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin was awarded the Presidential 

Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin received honorary degrees for her 

contributions to the arts from Harvard University, 

Princeton University, Yale University, Brown University, 

Berklee College of Music, the New England Conservatory 


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of Music, University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Bethune-Cookman College; 

Whereas Aretha Franklin inspired a generation of artists and 

enthralled the world with powerful music; and 

Whereas Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16, 2018, 

at the age of 76 at her home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate celebrates the life and leg2 acy of Aretha Franklin and the iconic contributions of 

3 Aretha Franklin to music, arts, and civil rights. 

Æ 


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