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THE BLACK MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM

Volume 133 No. 33

$2.00

MARCH 15, 2025 - MARCH 21, 2025

AP Photo/Richard Drew AP Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP

Friends, family and fans worldwide are still mourning the death of legendary singer, Roberta Flack (left). Her life was celebrated on March 10 in a public ceremony at The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, U.S.A.

Roberta Flack laid to rest in celebration of life featuring Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill By Maria Sherman

AP Photo/Richard Drew

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The celebration of life for Roberta Flack included celebrity performances and appearances from the likes of Lauryn Hill.

A public memorial service bursting with music, including planned performances by Stevie Wonder and a surprise one by Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean of the Fugees, celebrated the life and legacy of the Grammy-winning singer and pianist Roberta Flack. Flack, whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died on Feb. 24 at age 88. She’s best-known for her transformative covers of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Both

were expertly handled by Hill at the ceremony held on the afternoon of March 10 at New York’s Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. Wonder followed Hill’s performance and the Rev. Al Sharpton gave the eulogy. Flack “put a soundtrack to Black dignity,” Sharpton said. As many said in their tributes, Flack’s musical genius stemmed from her ability to seamlessly move between soul, jazz, gospel and beyond. Her “Celebration of Life” memorial was livestreamed at www. RobertaFlack.com and on YouTube. Here are some highlights: For the memory of a singing legend, a historic location Flack’s memorial was open to

“Her existence was a form of resistance.” the public at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, a historic Harlem institution. Founded in 1808, it is one of the oldest Black Baptist churches in the United States. The church was decorated for the ceremony with stunning white and yellow bouquets. Seats filled quickly. At center, a screen showed a young Flack at the piano and played highlights of her career. Later, it would broadcast music industry legends paying tribute to Flack,

including Clive Davis, Dionne Warwick, India.Arie and Alicia Keys. It was a fitting location for such a celebration: Flack grew up with church gospel and her mother played organ at the Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Church in Arlington, Va. As a teen, she began accompanying the church choir on piano. The ceremony detoured from a program handed out to attendees. It Continued on A3

Target takes a hit: $12.4 billion wiped out By Stacy M. Brown Target Corporation’s stock plummeted by approximately $27.27 per share by the end of February, erasing about $12.4 billion in market value. The drop came on Feb. 28, the designated economic blackout day, and coincided with mounting backlash over the retailer’s decision to abandon its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments.

President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. “If corporations believe they can roll back diversity commitments without consequence, they are mistaken.” Reverend Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, has led calls for a “40-Day Target Fast,” urging Black consumers to withhold their spending at the retailer. “Black people spend $12 million a day at Target,” Bryant said. “If we withhold our dollars, we can make a statement that cannot be ignored.”

“Black consumers helped build Target into a retail giant, and now they are making their voices heard.” The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) has taken action through its Public Education and Selective Buying Campaign. “Black consumers helped build Target into a retail giant, and now they are making their voices heard,” said NNPA

The NAACP also issued a Black Consumer Advisory in response to Target’s DEI rollback, warning Black consumers about corporate retreat from diversity initiatives. The Continued on A5

AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt, File

Target is losing billions in market share as consequences for the company’s choice to abandon its diversity, equity and inclusion policies begin to roll in.