Orlando Sentinel, January 23, 2009, Friday

Orlando Sentinel

January 23, 2009, Friday

Orlando Sentinel

What did Aretha give Obama on Inauguration Day?

posted by JimAbbott

January 23, 2009, Friday

Hey, I didn't even see the box, but apparently the Queen of Soul offered a very special keepsaketo the historic president, in addition to singing "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Inside the blue-bowed box? A recorded collection of 17 sermons by her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin. See more about Rev. Franklin and his daughter's gift below:

(January 23, 2009 - New York, NY) -- What was in the beautifully blue bowed box for President Barack Obama? Aretha Franklin presented President Obama with 17 sermons from her father─Rev. Dr. C.L. Franklin's collection of homilies recorded at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit where he was the pastor for 38 years. Those included in the gift collection were "The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest," one of Rev. Franklin's most famous sermons that elevated him into national and international fame. Others titles included"The 23rd Psalm," "Nothing Shall Separate Me From The Love of God," "He Went A Little Further," "Give Me This Mountain," Without A Song," "The Lord's Prayer," "What Must I Do To Be Saved," "Satan Goes To A Prayer Meeting," "Paul's Meditation On Immortality" and more.

Rev. Dr. C.L. Franklin was a graduate of The LeMoyne-Owen College, a historical black college in Memphis. He went on to complete post-graduate studies in Detroit. A legendary pastor and theologian, Rev. Dr. Franklin engineered and organized the great Walk to Freedom March in Detroit which preceded and set the stage for the historic 1963 March on Washington (for Jobs and Freedom) held at the Lincoln Memorial. She also gifted Obama with an autographed copy of her father's biography, SINGING IN A STRANGE LAND (Little Brown & Company, 2005) by Nick Salvatore, author, historian and professor at Cornell University and gave the President a small Bible engraved with a personal message. The Queen of Soul gave First Lady Michelle Obama a solid gold brooch with white diamonds. Franklin's 15-year-old grandson, Jordan Franklin, gave the first daughters─Malia and Sasha─a collection of Gospel/Christian Hip-Hop music.

Aretha Franklin participated in President Obama's Inauguration by singing a rousing patriotic rendition of the anthem, "My Country 'Tis of Thee" during the Swearing In Ceremony in front of a national and international audience of billions. Franklin is recording and releasing a commemorative version of "My Country 'Tis of Thee."