Aretha Franklin Is Properly Remembered at The Black Girls Rock Awards In New Jersey
See all of the red carpet looks from some of the most beautiful women in the world
Naomi Campbell and Mary J. Blige onstage during the Black Girls Rock! 2018 Show at NJPAC on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey.
Move over Madonna, you self-obsessed woman. That was the sentiment inside Radio City Music Hall last week in New York at the 2018 MTV VMAs when Madonna spent what seemed like 15 full minutes speaking about herself. She was there to pay tribute to the life of the iconic Aretha Franklin who passed away that week, aged 76, from pancreatic cancer. In 2018, amid the women’s moments, there was so much to speak about and how, Franklin’s music and her life could almost be the soundtrack to such an uprise. Instead, Madonna talked about her own career and how she one time sang a Franklin song. It was self-indulgent, at best.
This week, however, Franklin will get the tribute she deserves in her hometown of Detroit (she was actually born in Memphis but spent most of her life living in the former). The late singer’s body will even be on display at Detroit Museum so fans can bid the Queen of Soul one final goodbye.
Her tribute week began however at the Black Girls Rock awards in New Jersey, an event that honours black women’s achievements in different fields such as music, entertainment, medicine, entrepreneurship and social change. See below the red carpet arrivals.
Singer Mary J. Blige attends the Black Girls Rock! Red Carpet at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic)
Singer Janet Jackson attends the Black Girls Rock! Red Carpet at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic
Model and Black Girl Magic Award Award recipient Naomi Campbell speaks on stage during the 2018 Black Girls Rock! at New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/WireImage)
Actress Amandla Stenberg attends 2018 Black Girls Rock! at New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/WireImage)
Singer Ciara attends 2018 Black Girls Rock! at New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/WireImage)
Film director Ava DuVernay attends 2018 Black Girls Rock! at New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/WireImage)
Queen Latifah speaks onstage during the Black Girls Rock! 2018 Show at NJPAC on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for BET)
Dancer Misty Copeland attends the Black Girls Rock! Red Carpet at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic)
Tarana Burke attends the Black Girls Rock! Red Carpet at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic)
