Former President Bill Clinton was seated in the front row of singer Aretha Franklin’s funeral Friday with controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Farrakhan, who has headed the Nation of Islam religious group since 1975, has been a controversial leader because of anti-Semitic and anti-white comments. He made controversial remarks this year during a Saviours’ Day 2018 address, in which he claimed “the powerful Jews are my enemy” and “white folks are going down.”
Over the summer, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., was criticized for meeting a few times with Farrakhan, after Ellison said he has no relationship with him.
In January, it was revealed that Farrakhan was photographed in 2005 with then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., by photojournalist Askia Muhammad. Muhammad confessed that the Congressional Black Caucus requested the photo be hidden so as not to undermine Obama’s chances of becoming president.
On stage in front at Aretha Franklin’s funeral are Min. Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and former president Bill Clinton https://t.co/FOic3yqVw8 #ArethaHomegoing pic.twitter.com/ClQOPuU6Jt
— Niraj Warikoo (@nwarikoo) August 31, 2018
Clinton and Farrakhan were also pictured at Franklin’s funeral on stage together, along with Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Clinton spoke at the funeral and remembered her “courage.”
“She lived with courage,” Clinton said in his remarks. “Not without fear, but overcoming her fears. She lived with faith. Not without failure, but overcoming her failures. She lived with power. Not without weakness, but overcoming her weaknesses. I just loved her.”
Franklin was awarded the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities by Clinton in 1999. She sang at Clinton’s inauguration in 1993, in addition to the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 1999.
Franklin passed away on Aug. 16, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. The funeral was held Friday at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit.
