For black women at church, it's more than the Aretha eulogy

DETROIT (AP) — A black pastor's controversial eulogy at Aretha Franklin's funeral laid bare before the world what black women say they have experienced for generations: sexism and inequality in their houses of worship every Sunday.

In eulogizing the beloved artist known as the Queen of Soul, the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. declared that as "proud, beautiful and fine as our black women are, one thing a black woman cannot do — a black woman cannot raise a black boy to be a man."

The backlash was immediate, given Franklin's role as a mother and a pillar for women's rights.

Franklin's grieving family said Williams' eulogy, which also included references to stopping black-on-black crime, was offensive because it did not focus on her.