Monday, September 18
“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”
— Jackie Robinson
Today’s Excerpt:
Who is someone you respect or admire? What do you respect or admire about them?
One of the most famous songs about respect is “Respect,” written by Otis Redding and sung by Aretha Franklin. To learn about this song, read Aretha Franklin: The Powerful Message Behind Her Equality Anthem “Respect” (7-min article) from Biography.com, which gives the history and context of Arethra Franklin’s rendition of the song “Respect.” About the song Franklin said, “It was picked up as a battle cry by the civil rights movement. But when I recorded it, it was pretty much a male-female kind of thing. And more in a general sense, from person-to-person — I’m going to give you respect and I’d like to have that respect back or I expect respect to be given back.”
You can also listen to the song “Aretha Franklin – Respect” (3-min video).
THIS WEEK’S LESSON
Respect
