Aretha Franklin is getting a real freeway of love.
Michigan governor Gretchen Witmer has signed a bill making part of the M-10 Freeway that runs through Detroit as the Aretha L. Franklin Memorial Highway.
Our friend Aretha died on August 16th last year. I’ve been thinking about her a lot this week as I went to Detroit to see her one year ago this week.
She had just received another honor– the naming of a downtown street near Tigers Stadium is now Aretha Franklin Way.
After her death, the city also renamed a local concert venue on the river in her honor.
This past May, Aretha also received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for her life’s work.
She would be so pleased by all these accolades. They show so much RESPECT!
The piece of highway which will bear her name begins near her famed New Bethel Baptist Church.
The Democratic governor notes in a statement that Franklin’s “creativity and voice contributed to our musical and cultural history in Michigan.”
By the way, Aretha’s gospel documentary, “Amazing Grace,” has made over $4.3 million in its theatrical release. It’s still playing in some theaters after a hugely successful run. Director Sydney Pollack must be smiling in heaven.
