Last night in Los Angeles the Grammy Awards show began with tributes to Aretha Franklin, one of the greatest-ever gospel and soul singers (1). For many of us growing up in the Sixties, Aretha defined what it meant to be a "natural woman" AND a woman deserving
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Now 68, she recently had surgery but intends to resume performing. I sure hope so because we all, but especially young women, need to draw inspiration from her strong voice.
Now let’s shift the scene from Los Angeles to the streets of Rome, where Italian women have said "Enough." Disgusted with the "unbecoming-a-president" lifestyle of President Silvio Berlusconi, Italian women and some men turned out on Sunday to express their frustration (2). In the words of Susanna Camusso, head of Confindustria (Italian General Confederation of Labor), Berlusconi has turned Italy into "an ugly television soap opera." Also speaking on the stage in Rome were a nun, Sister Eugenia Bonetti; and a center-right politician, Gianfranco Fini. Fini, who is the speaker of the lower house of Italy’s parliament, broke away from Berlusconi’s coalition last summer. The high-profile participation of Sister Bonetti and Mr. Fini means that this was not just a crowd of fanatical, radical feminists.
Berlusconi is just as clueless about what Italian women want as Mubarak was about what the Egyptian protesters wanted. In Egypt people sought to end a repressive, stagnating regime as a means of ending an era of national decline--in which Egypt’s regional power declined, the economy declined, and people's self-respect declined. In Italy too there is a sense that the government has been unresponsive–and not just to women’s issues. As Susanna Camusso puts it, a country failing to support its women’s "capacity for growth" is "a country that goes backward" (3).
Among the signs held by protesters, this one caught the NYT reporters’ eye: "We want a country that respects women." That’s where Aretha comes in. On Sunday, in the streets of Rome, protesters were dancing to her great anthem "Respect"–an anthem for all women, for all people everywhere (4). We need to keep dancing to that tune!
"Respect" was written and originally recorded by Otis Redding, but Aretha made it her own. According to Wikipedia, during the 1970s her version "came to exemplify the feminist movement" but an editor’s note tells us that this claim needs a citation. After Sunday, the song’s feminist (or womanist) legacy is not longer in doubt.
You can bring this legacy into the classroom in several subject areas. You might focus on Aretha Franklin and the larger context of the Civil Rights movement, the Sixties, Soul music, and African American and/or women’s history. In doing so, mentioning the protests in Italy to expand the topic beyond the US. This could be part of a social studies or sociology class or a reading-across-the curriculum activity in a language arts class. With more discussion of the song’s transatlantic/global influence, it would fit well in a world history or European history class.
LISTEN: Jump-start a lesson with an audio/video of "Respect" (see Resources).
VIEW: A great photo accompanies the WP article. Save it for a PowerPoint and project on screen to introduce the topic of the Italian women’s protests. Also, there are many excellent, current and vintage photos of Aretha Franklin online.
VIEW: The documentary "Aretha Franklin" at Biography.com is excellent. Its six segments follow her story from childhood to the present. Preview these and select according to themes and content suitable for your class. Since each segment is just over six minutes long, you could shown one per day, followed by a brief discussion, and still leave time for the day’s regularly scheduled work. One segment shows Martin Luther King with Aretha Franklin.
READING: Select the NYT, WP, or NPR (Reuters) article as a reading comprehension exercise–with students reading online or from print-outs. If time is a constraint, use the article to teach scanning skills by asking students to scan to find answers to specific questions (check questions against content of selected article):
Why were women in Rome dancing to "Respect" (her 1967 hit song)?
Who is Susanna Camusso?
Why doesn’t Ms. Camusso like President Berlusconi?
Why did Sister Bonetti join the demonstration?
Why did Gianfranco Fini desert President Berlusconi?
EXPAND/RESEARCH: In AP European History, learn more about African Americans musicians, writers, and intellectuals living in Europe in the 1920s/30s and after World War II (e.g. James Baldwin). What drew them to Europe? How did they influence European culture?
EXPAND: The Arabic word for "Enough!" is "Kefaya!" It seems that people everywhere reach a point where they are just fed up. What are the equivalents in other languages? (This would be very appropriate in an ESL or foreign language class.)
SHARE: Info about the World Economic Forum report with any feminist (female or male) math teachers. This PDF includes a wealth of statistical data to study and manipulate. Also useful in sociology and global studies classes.
Notes
1) Widely reported in US media. See The Los Angeles Times: "Singing Aretha’s Praises: Jennifer Hudson" (2-14-2011). http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/02/aretha-franklin-jennifer-hudson
2) Based on Donadio/Povoledo article, NYT (2-13-2011).
3) As quoted in Donadio/Povoledo article.
4) Also reported by The Washington Post and The Associated Press (as posted on the NPR site).
Resources: The Protests
Donadio, Rachel and Elisabetta Povoledo. "Italians Protest Over Berlusconi Scandals." NYT (2-14-11). Article with link to TT: Aretha Franklin.
D’Emilio, Frances. "Women Denounce Berlusconi." Washington Post (2-13-11).
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/13/women-denounce-berlusconi [if this doen’t work, search WP’s "World" section]
"Italian Women Protest Against Silvio Berlusconi." Associated Press (2-13-1011). NPR
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/13/133732293/italian-women-protest-against-silvio-berlusconi
Alberici, Emma. "Italian Women Protest Over Berlusconi Sex Scandal." ABC [Australian Broadcasting Corporation] News (2-14-2011). Article is transcript of audio available here (listen to voices of Ms. Camusso and Sister Bonetti)–or view video shown on ABC News TV.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/14/3137665.htm?site=news
Makenzie, James "Berlusconi Refuses to Resign, Dismisses Protest.’ Reuters (2-14-2011). Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110214/wl/nm/us_italy_berlusconi
Resources: Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin http://www.aretha-franklin.com/bio.htm
"The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin." Short biography at aretha-franklin.com. Scroll down past the "Strawberry Fields" trailer to find it.
"Aretha Franklin." Biography (cable network). A documentary in 6parts (each just over 6 minutes long). http://www.biography.com/articles/Aretha-Franklin-9301157
"Aretha Franklin." Wikipedia. This article includes citations and links throughout–as well as a list of worthwhile external links. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin
"Respect." Wikipedia. Detailed information about the song, its original version, Otis Redding’s reaction to Aretha’s hit, its chart history, and covers by various artists. The covers included one by a Basque fusion-rock band, not too surprising–given the Basque struggle for autonomy and respect. Access from "Aretha Franklin" article.
"Aretha Franklin--Respect Lyrics." These lyrics are correct–with TCB at end of line that is sometimes misquoted. For the meaning of TCB see Wikpedia article. http://www.lyrics007.com/Aretha%20Franklin%20Lyrics/Respect%20Lyrics.html
To listen to "Respect" (02:24):
- On MySpace (from first page of Google results–if search "Aretha Franklin") or go directly to http://ilike.myspacecdn.com/play#Aretha+Franklin:Respect:13658:s292462.9352605.14367593.0.1.15%2Cstd_1fe89b7722d1f492ab92e0ec3cf87f2f
- YouTube (song plus photos; 03:02): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UYcjDlSdnw
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/f/aretha_franklin/index.html
NPR. http://www.npr.org/ Search "Aretha Franklin NPR" to access several NPR stories.
Bego, Mark. Aretha Franklin, The Queen Of Soul. St. Martin’s Press, 1989.
Salvatore, Nick, Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America. New York: Little Brown, 2005.
Resources: Berlusconi and Women in Italy
Donadio, Rachel. "Surreal: A Soap Opera Starring Berlusconi." NYT (1-22-2011). This "news analysis" appeared in the Sunday Week in Review section. About half of it discusses why Berlusconi is still in power (with a reference back to late Roman times).
Donadio, Rachel. "Prosecuters Seek Immediate Trial for Berlusconi." NYT (2-9-2011).
Donadio, Rachel. "Under Threat, Berlusconi Enlists His Media Empire." NYT (2-11-2011).
Times Topics: Silvio Berlusconi (Access to the Donadio articles and much more.) http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/silvio_berlusconi/index.html
NYT Room for Debate. "Decadence and Democracy in Italy" (January 26, 2011).
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/01/26/decadence-and-democracy-in-italy?ref=europe
Corporate Gender Gap Report 2010: Part 2: Country Reports. World Economic Forum. Countries are listed on page 3 but page numbers are those of the printed report and do not correspond to the PDF page numbers. So slide down to find any country (arranged alphabetically). http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_CountryProfiles_2010.pdf
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