FM Feline
Please RESPECT the Franklin Family’s Wishes
The family of Aretha Franklin participated in a protest on 3/13/21 using ‘#justiceforthequeen’ as a call to action for fans. The demonstration is in response to National Geographic’s anthology series ‘Genius: Aretha’, which will premiere on March 21. The series stars British actress and singer Cynthia Erivo as The Queen of Soul. Erivo is no stranger to controversy surrounding her portrayal of African-Americans; as she experienced backlash when she portrayed Freedom Fighter; Harriet Tubman in 2019. Victorie Franklin, the late songstress’ granddaughter, shared via Instagram that she and her family would protest the series because they didn’t’ “believe it would be an honest depiction of who my grandmother was”.
According to the family, National Geographic did not include them when it came to producing the series. The family alleges they reached out to Genius on multiple occasions and in turn have been disrespected. With this protest, the family is asking that the public not support the series.
Franklin’s youngest son, Kecalf, claims; “This series was pushed through without our consent”. He also stated via Instagram; “This post does not reflect our feelings toward any of the actors/actresses as we know they are just doing their jobs.” Suzan-Lori Parks; showrunner of ‘Genius: Aretha’ responded; “We worked with many people who knew Ms. Franklin — from Clive Davis to representatives of her family’s estate”, which seemingly confirming accusations from the Franklin family. While it’s possible to create a series based on a public figure with contributions from colleagues and friends, it seems particularly tone-deaf to do so. Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul. Without the input of the immediate family, the series will lack just that; the soul of the Queen. Will you watch the ‘Genius: Aretha’ series? Will you stand with the family in boycotting?
Written by: T.Nicole
