*At least 1000 members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority held a separate memorial ceremony for soror Aretha Franklin during her public viewing Tuesday at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Per sorority tradition, the ladies took part in an Omega Omega ceremony, which lasted nearly an hour and is traditionally performed for any member before her funeral. Standing in a semicircle surrounding Franklin’s family, the women filed in for nearly 10 minutes wearing black dresses, pearl necklaces, and corsages of African violets, the sorority’s official flower.
“She loved Delta and its ideals … she looked for the best in others. Her life was an inspiration,” said U.S. House Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a member of the sorority who was elected the first black mayor of Southfield, Michigan, in 2001.
Sorors saluted Franklin with words, scripture and songs, including the Delta Prayer, which filled the rotunda as Franklin’s sisters serenaded her in unison, notes The Associated Press.
Watch below:
Franklin was inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta in 1992.
