A Celebration of Life For Songstress Roberta Flack

By Journalist Dr. Ms. Jones

HARLEM – On Monday, March10th hundreds gathered at Abyssinian Baptist Church to celebrate the life and legacy of legendary songstress Roberta Flack. Multi-Grammy Award Winning Flack passed away on February 24th at the age of 88.

Flack’s musical talent was apparent at an early age and secured her a scholarship at the age of 15 to the illustrious Howard University. Actress Phylicia Rashad, who was also a student at Howard, shared the first time she heard Flack sing at Howard’s Cramton Auditorium.

“She entered the stage and sat at the piano. Most people in the audience did not know her. She was the opening act to someone who I can’t remember, but I remember Roberta. She began singing so quiet and you know how people are when they don’t know who you are. They were having a conversation about this and that… She continued to sing quietly, steadily. The audience fell to silence in a matter of moments and she ended to thunderous applause and rapt attention for the remainder of her performance. I will never forget it!” said Rashad.

Flack became a schoolteacher in Washington, D.C. She then skyrocketed to fame with hits like “The Closer I Get to You,” “Tonight I Celebrate My Love,” and “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face.” In a video tribute highlighting Flack’s musical journey and influence which featured photos, past interview clips, her receiving awards, and celebrity interviews, Flack gave insight on how she constructed songs.

“I sit down and I reconstruct a song, not phrase by phrase or line by line, but thought by thought. So that there’s a story in my head. There’s a movie that goes around in my brain. And that’s what I do with songs,” said Flack.

Vice President Kamala Harris sent a letter of condolence. Tributes from family, friends, and colleagues emphasized her dedication to music education, her humanitarian efforts, and her influence on other artists. Speakers highlighted Flack’s chart-topping musical achievements and her impact on the music industry. Singer-songwriter and longtime friend of vocalist, pianist, songwriter, and author Flack, Valerie Simpson, delivered special remarks and sang. She and Flack used to collaborate. Stevie Wonder expressed his love for Flack. He also performed a song he shared with Flack, emphasizing the importance of seeing beyond physical limitations.

“I have a history, a deep history, with Roberta. The history really is a blessing… I knew how beautiful Roberta was. Not seeing her visually but being able to feel the heart. I celebrate that, “said Stevie Wonder.

The service also featured a musical performance of “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean who remade Flack’s 1972 song with the Fugees. Stevie Wonder, who was sitting in the congregation, grabbed a mic and joined in with his harmonica. Hill also gave personal reflections on Flack’s life and contributions.

“Roberta Flack was beyond trailblazing. She and artists like Nina Simone carved out for me a pathway of soulful, Black, intellectual, sublime beauty that not only spoke to Black resistance directly in lyric and statement but was Black resistance to racism and victory and limitations by virtue of its existence. Meaning she didn’t just write about the beauty; she was the beauty. She didn’t just write about resistance. Her existence was the form of resistance. She wrote our stories in forms the established authorities of the time could not deny. Compositions wrapped with graceful classical forms and nuances that would not, nor could not, be dismissed. She wrote and played and manifested verses for our dignified representation on behalf of our dignified collective existence. This is not even to mention the voice that was clear as a bell with a residence of beauty and clarity of tone so rare and unique that the listener is pulled in to acknowledge its quiet power… The fire of her messages, of her political intent, of her love songs that reigns the generation[s],” said Hill.

Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network delivered the eulogy for Flack, highlighting her impact and legacy. Flack’s music was praised for promoting Black dignity and challenging societal norms. He discussed the normalization of gangsters and depravity in music and how Flack’s music brought people back to their best selves. He called others to emulate Flack’s dedication to justice and her ability to find joy and strength through adversity. He highlighted Flack’s commitment to causes and her refusal to let her celebrity get in the way of her activism.

“I first met Roberta Flackin 1970. I was 13 years old. I was Youth Director for Operation Breadbasket in New York under Jesse Jackson and he brought her up to a rally in Brooklyn… and all the way until a few weeks ago, she and I always stayed in touch. There was never a cause that we would ask her to weigh in, she wouldn’t weigh in, and there never was something we would do that she was not there. She never let her stardom get in the way of her commitment,” said Sharpton.