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Plus, how “Crazy Rich” Asians have led to the largest income gap in the U.S.
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The New York Times
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Aretha Franklin’s Towering Commitment to Equality
Aretha Franklin at the Apollo Theater in New York City in 1971.

Aretha Franklin at the Apollo Theater in New York City in 1971. Tyrone Dukes/The New York Times

Lauretta Charlton
Lauretta Charlton
The Queen of Soul died this week in Detroit at the age of 76. Many tributes will focus on her voice and contributions to music. But Aretha Franklin was more than this. She was the daughter of a preacher, a teenage mom, a survivor and a tireless champion of civil rights. 
I remember falling in love with Aretha while washing dishes. I must have been 12 years old and not particularly well-behaved. “You better think,” Aretha told me from the stereo. What I heard was assertive and confident. I wanted some of that. And Aretha was proof that a young black girl like me could have it.
In the aftermath of her death, we asked readers to share their thoughts and memories. For many readers, the cornerstone of Ms. Franklin’s legacy was her commitment to equality, black people and especially black women. 
What Aretha Franklin Meant to You
The Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Operation PUSH Soul Picnic in New York with Tom Todd, vice president of PUSH, from second left, Aretha Franklin and Louis Stokes.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Operation PUSH Soul Picnic in New York with Tom Todd, vice president of PUSH, from second left, Aretha Franklin and Louis Stokes. Jim Wells/Associated Press

There was never a moment in my life as a black woman that Aretha Franklin didn’t have something to say about it. Aretha demanded respect for us. Aretha talked about the beauty of sexual desire with someone you loved. Aretha helped us through the heartbreak. Aretha told us to keep moving on. — Laura174, Toronto
Ms. Franklin is the Queen of Soul not only because of her music but also because of her work in civil rights, her care for unknown and poor people, her continual helping hand to African-American artists. She taught me above all, as a woman, empowerment. She taught me to never turn away, never remain silent, never stop moving forward. — Sparrow, Washington, D.C.
When you are lying on your living room floor crying in devastation and Aretha comes on and tells you that “a rose is still a rose,” you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and straighten your crown. Thank you, Aretha, you helped me find strength and respect for myself. Your voice and your words lifted my soul, when I didn’t think I would ever recover. — Leesa, North Carolina
Fans gather near a makeshift memorial in honour of singer Aretha Franklin outside the Apollo Theater Thursday.

Fans gather near a makeshift memorial in honour of singer Aretha Franklin outside the Apollo Theater Thursday. Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Aretha Franklin was the definition of blackness. From her singing at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. to “the hat” to singing for Carole King at the Kennedy Center. She defined me, a black gay man, and she defined my entire family. There will never be another like her, and there was never one before. — wsr, New York
Aretha was our soundtrack. Aretha was independence. She was what a woman could be, what I might be. Proud. Beautiful. Angry. Loving. Imperfect. Aretha was who I was with as I came into my own idea of womanhood, partnership, activism and leadership. To me she spoke — and still speaks — across decades and shades of difference about what it means to ache, love, fight and learn as a free woman. — Katherine Casey, Denver
How ‘Crazy Rich’ Asians Have Led to the Largest Income Gap in the U.S.
From left, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding and Constance Wu in a scene from the film.

From left, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding and Constance Wu in a scene from the film. Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros. Entertainment, via Associated Press

The leads of the new romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians” are precisely what you might expect based on the title: picture-perfect images of the immigrant success story. Viewers might even get the impression from watching the film that every Asian lives a charmed life. But that is not a full picture of what Asian-Americans experience. They are now the most economically divided racial and ethnic group, displacing African-Americans, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of United States Census Bureau data. Read the full story here.
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“Crazy Rich Asians” hit theaters in the United States this week and has already received rave reviews from critics, but why are films featuring primarily non-white casts so few and far between? We went live with Victoria Loke, who plays Fiona Tung-Cheng in “Crazy Rich Asians,” and Nancy Yuen, a sociologist at Biola University, to discuss. Be sure to join our live conversations every Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern as we examine topics related to race and culture on The Times’s Facebook page.
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Editor’s Picks
We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are a few you shouldn’t miss.
The Rev. Robert S. Graetz at his home in Montgomery, Ala. Mr. Graetz was a neighbor of Rosa Parks’s and an early supporter of the civil rights movement. Johnathon Kelso for The New York Times
Bombed by the K.K.K. A Friend of Rosa Parks. This Pastor Is Still Fighting.
By ALAN BLINDER
Robert S. Graetz describes the night of the bombing, an attack memorialized in a note handwritten by Mrs. Parks. It now belongs to him.
A self-portrait of the photographer. Anjali Pinto for The New York Times
Turning Poetry Into Photos
By KERRI MACDONALD AND MORRIGAN MCCARTHY
Photographers read poems written by 6 women. Here’s what they saw in the words.
Farah Alhajeh said that she greeted men and women the same way in mixed company, by bringing her hand to her chest. “We live in a society where you have to treat women and men the same,” she said. “I know that because I am Swedish.” Farah Alhajeh
Muslim Job Applicant Who Refused Handshake Wins Discrimination Case
By CHRISTINA ANDERSON
Farah Alhajeh placed her hand on her heart when greeting a prospective colleague, explaining that she avoided physical contact with men because of her religion.
Aretha Franklin sang “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” during a tribute to Carole King in 2015. “Carole was losing her mind, Obama was losing his mind,” said the Broadway actress Chilina Kennedy. Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS, via Getty Images
When Aretha Franklin Brought Down the House at the Kennedy Center
By GAVIN EDWARDS
Her rendition of “Natural Woman” in December 2015 was unforgettable. Performers, guests and others who were there talk about the soaring performance.
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