As most of you may know by now, friends and family gathered at The Greater Grace Temple in Detroit to honor and celebrate the life of Aretha Franklin. As the funeral went on, Ariana Grande beautifully performed “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and returned next to the bishop where he not only made a terribly offensive joke, but groped her on stage in front of everyone.
A quote from a CNN article summed it up perfectly: “A funeral fit for a queen also served as a reminder that there isn’t a single place in this country where a woman can feel safe from sexual assault and harassment.”
You could tell that Grande was uncomfortable. You could tell that she was trying to pull away from his grip and laugh it off instead of causing a scene. Although Pastor Charles H. Ellis III has apologized to Grande and the entire Hispanic community for his joke, too many women are relating to what Grande had to go through.
Ariana Grande’s discomfort has resonated with so many of us. We are disgusted and we are fed up. We need to start holding abusers accountable.
When will it end?