Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty
Aretha Franklin has received another posthumous honor. The 18-time Grammy award winning singer is now the namesake of the post office in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. The Fox Creek Post Office is now named the Aretha Franklin Post Office Building, the Associated Press reported.
The idea to name the post office after the Queen of Soul came to fruition thanks to Franklin’s good friend Democratic U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, who was also a postal worker previously.
“Her legacy lives on in her music, in her family,” Lawrence said. “But we have added to that list of her legacy: A post office with her name on it.”
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters expressed being proud that “Congress can come together when it comes to standing up and recognizing this amazing person” during the dedication ceremony on Oct. 4.
The local post office isn’t the only place to be renamed in Franklin’s honor. In 2019, the former Chene Park amphitheatre in Detroit was renamed The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre. Renaming the outdoor venue was a no brainer for city council, who unanimously voted for the new name. Mayor Mike Duggan was also all for the change and when he revealed the news at Franklin’s funeral, saying that “when Aretha Franklin sang, it sounded like the voice of Detroit.”
Franklin’s legacy was also continued with the release of her biopic, Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson, who she handpicked to portray her. The film earned $8.8 million in box offices during its opening weekend, landing it in the no. 4 slot, the Detroit Free Press noted. Taking on such a role came with a lot of pressure for Hudson.
“It’s like, ‘Oh wow, Jesus, what am I supposed to do with this?’ How do you approach something so huge, of the magnitude that it is?,” she told The Independent. “And being a fan, I’m aware of that, which is what made it an even more personal project to me.”
Franklin died from pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer on Aug. 16, 2018.
