Bonaparte, Yvette Lynne

English

ValpoScholar

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership
Volume 12
Issue 1 Winter/Spring 2019 Article 3
January 2019
Guest Editorial: A Reflection on the Leadership of
Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul
Yvette Lynne Bonaparte
bonapartephd@gmail.com
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl
Part of the Business Commons
This Editorial is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Business at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of
Values-Based Leadership by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at
scholar@valpo.edu.
Recommended Citation
Bonaparte, Yvette Lynne (2019) "Guest Editorial: A Reflection on the Leadership of Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul," The Journal of
Values-Based Leadership: Vol. 12 : Iss. 1 , Article 3.
Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.22543/0733.121.1254
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol12/iss1/3
1 
 
GUEST EDITORIAL 
________________________________________________________ 
 
A Reflection on the Leadership of Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul 
________________________________________________________ 
 
− by Yvette Lynne Bonaparte, PhD, member of the JVBL International Editorial Board 
 
 When I heard the news report that Aretha Franklin was in hospice care, I thought to myself 
that another person of influence from my parent’s generation 
was about to leave us. I grew up hearing Ms. Franklin’s 
powerful voice and the messages her songs delivered. She 
passed away on August 16, 2018. As a leadership scholar, 
listening to the numerous tributes honoring Ms. Franklin, I 
couldn’t help but think about her life in the context of 
transformative leadership.   
 
Transformative leadership is a model of leadership that 
requires the leader to acknowledge and understand of the 
impact of inequities on those who lack power and privilege. It 
is a model in which the leader commits him or herself to 
affecting social change. The transformative leader is self-
aware, authentic, and acts with moral courage. He or she is an 
activist who challenges the status quo, encourages and facilitates inclusion, and gives voice 
to those that might otherwise be silenced. In numerous ways, Ms. Franklin embodied these 
leadership practices. In an interview regarding her own fame she said “being the Queen is not 
all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing.  It has much to do with your service 
to people, and your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as 
well.”   
 
As a leader in the civil rights movement, Ms. Franklin, together with other accomplished 
African Americans, shared their talents and financial resources to support the movement. Ms. 
Franklin advocated for social justice, and in doing so illustrated the traits of a transformative 
leader. She demonstrated moral courage and inserted herself into challenging situations. For 
example, in 1970, Ms. Franklin offered to pay the bail for Angela Davis’s release from jail. In 
Jet Magazine, Ms. Franklin was quoted, explaining her view of the situation in the following 
way: “I’m going to see her [Angela Davis] free if there is any justice in our courts, not because 
I believe in communism, but because she’s a Black woman and she wants freedom for Black 
people. I have the money; I got it from Black people — they’ve made me financially able to 
have it — and I want to use it in ways that will help our people.”   
 
Ms. Franklin’s music was transformative. Many of her songs became anthems for both the 
feminist and civil rights movements and in doing so, inspired and motivated many. In 1972 
when she recorded “Young, Gifted & Black,” she delivered a poignant message of affirmation 
to a generation of young African American: 
2 
 
In this whole world, you know 
There are millions of boys and girls 
Who are young, gifted and black 
With their souls intact, and that's a fact 
You are young, gifted and black, we must begin to tell our young 
There's a world waiting for you, yours is the quest that's just begun. 
 
In 1985, she recorded “Sisters are Doin’ It For Themselves.” This song served as a declaration 
of strength, confidence, and celebration for multiple generations of women:  
 
Sisters are doin' it for themselves 
Standin' on their own two feet 
And ringin' on their own bells 
Said, sisters are doin' it for themselves 
Now this is a song to celebrate 
The conscious liberation of the female state 
Mothers, daughters and their daughters too, yeah 
Woman to woman 
We're singin' with you 
The inferior sex had got a new exterior 
We got doctors, lawyers, politicians too 
Everybody, take a look around 
Can you see, can you see, can you see 
There's a woman right next to you. 
 
Aretha Franklin’s incredible musical talent expanded numerous genres: soul, jazz, rock and 
roll, pop, classical, and gospel. Whether it was her demand for “Respect,” her reminder to 
each of us to “Think” and “Say A Little Prayer,” or her delivery of a soul-stirring testimony in 
one of her many gospel songs (“Surely, God is Able” is one of my personal favorites), she 
helped to inspire us. Through her actions as a leader committed to social justice and using 
her talents, influence, and resources to advocate for change, she helped to transform us. Her 
relevance and impact were (and are) undeniable. She will be missed. 
 
 
About the Author 
 
Dr. Yvette Lynne Bonaparte is a collaborative and metric-
driven scholar and practitioner in the areas of marketing 
and leadership. She has a twenty-year track record of 
success in private industry and has held leadership 
positions in the areas of brand/product management, 
global marketing, customer insights, and program 
management with some of the world's best-known 
corporations. She has also consulted with leading 
organizations within higher education and the health care 
industry in the areas of strategic marketing, and diversity 
and inclusion. Dr. Bonaparte can be contacted at: 
bonapartephd@gmail.com. 
 


Guest Editorial: A Reflection on the Leadership of Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul

Valparaiso University

The Journal of Values-Based LeadershipVolume 12Issue 1 Winter/Spring 2019 Article 3January 2019Guest Editorial: A Reflection on the Leadership ofAretha Franklin, Queen of SoulYvette Lynne Bonapartebonapartephd@gmail.comFollow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvblPart of the Business CommonsThis Editorial is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Business at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal ofValues-Based Leadership by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member atscholar@valpo.edu.Recommended CitationBonaparte, Yvette Lynne (2019) "Guest Editorial: A Reflection on the Leadership of Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul," The Journal ofValues-Based Leadership: Vol. 12 : Iss. 1 , Article 3.Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.22543/0733.121.1254Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol12/iss1/31  GUEST EDITORIAL ________________________________________________________  A Reflection on the Leadership of Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul ________________________________________________________  − by Yvette Lynne Bonaparte, PhD, member of the JVBL International Editorial Board   When I heard the news report that Aretha Franklin was in hospice care, I thought to myself that another person of influence from my parent’s generation was about to leave us. I grew up hearing Ms. Franklin’s powerful voice and the messages her songs delivered. She passed away on August 16, 2018. As a leadership scholar, listening to the numerous tributes honoring Ms. Franklin, I couldn’t help but think about her life in the context of transformative leadership.    Transformative leadership is a model of leadership that requires the leader to acknowledge and understand of the impact of inequities on those who lack power and privilege. It is a model in which the leader commits him or herself to affecting social change. The transformative leader is self-aware, authentic, and acts with moral courage. He or she is an activist who challenges the status quo, encourages and facilitates inclusion, and gives voice to those that might otherwise be silenced. In numerous ways, Ms. Franklin embodied these leadership practices. In an interview regarding her own fame she said “being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing.  It has much to do with your service to people, and your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.”    As a leader in the civil rights movement, Ms. Franklin, together with other accomplished African Americans, shared their talents and financial resources to support the movement. Ms. Franklin advocated for social justice, and in doing so illustrated the traits of a transformative leader. She demonstrated moral courage and inserted herself into challenging situations. For example, in 1970, Ms. Franklin offered to pay the bail for Angela Davis’s release from jail. In Jet Magazine, Ms. Franklin was quoted, explaining her view of the situation in the following way: “I’m going to see her [Angela Davis] free if there is any justice in our courts, not because I believe in communism, but because she’s a Black woman and she wants freedom for Black people. I have the money; I got it from Black people — they’ve made me financially able to have it — and I want to use it in ways that will help our people.”    Ms. Franklin’s music was transformative. Many of her songs became anthems for both the feminist and civil rights movements and in doing so, inspired and motivated many. In 1972 when she recorded “Young, Gifted & Black,” she delivered a poignant message of affirmation to a generation of young African American: 2  In this whole world, you know There are millions of boys and girls Who are young, gifted and black With their souls intact, and that's a fact You are young, gifted and black, we must begin to tell our young There's a world waiting for you, yours is the quest that's just begun.  In 1985, she recorded “Sisters are Doin’ It For Themselves.” This song served as a declaration of strength, confidence, and celebration for multiple generations of women:   Sisters are doin' it for themselves Standin' on their own two feet And ringin' on their own bells Said, sisters are doin' it for themselves Now this is a song to celebrate The conscious liberation of the female state Mothers, daughters and their daughters too, yeah Woman to woman We're singin' with you The inferior sex had got a new exterior We got doctors, lawyers, politicians too Everybody, take a look around Can you see, can you see, can you see There's a woman right next to you.  Aretha Franklin’s incredible musical talent expanded numerous genres: soul, jazz, rock and roll, pop, classical, and gospel. Whether it was her demand for “Respect,” her reminder to each of us to “Think” and “Say A Little Prayer,” or her delivery of a soul-stirring testimony in one of her many gospel songs (“Surely, God is Able” is one of my personal favorites), she helped to inspire us. Through her actions as a leader committed to social justice and using her talents, influence, and resources to advocate for change, she helped to transform us. Her relevance and impact were (and are) undeniable. She will be missed.   About the Author  Dr. Yvette Lynne Bonaparte is a collaborative and metric-driven scholar and practitioner in the areas of marketing and leadership. She has a twenty-year track record of success in private industry and has held leadership positions in the areas of brand/product management, global marketing, customer insights, and program management with some of the world's best-known corporations. She has also consulted with leading organizations within higher education and the health care industry in the areas of strategic marketing, and diversity and inclusion. Dr. Bonaparte can be contacted at: bonapartephd@gmail.com.  

https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1254&context=jvbl

Guest Editorial: A Reflection on the Leadership of Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul

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