News and Commentary

Aretha Franklin’s Family Slams Pastor’s Eulogy Criticizing Black Community; Pastor Responds

John Bickley

The family of the late Aretha Franklin says they found the eulogy delivered by Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. at the iconic performer’s funeral Friday to be “very, very distasteful,” but the “old-school” pastor is standing firm by his remarks.

In the 50-minute eulogy delivered at the late singer’s star-packed funeral Friday, Williams declared that “black lives do not matter” so long as black people continue to kill themselves and criticized raising children in fatherless homes.

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