Posted on 06/20/2021 9:46:19 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Singer Chloe Bailey put out a rendition of Nina Simone’s famous song “Feeling Good” for Juneteenth.
It caused some controversy, because some thought it overly sexualized the song in the video. But, Simone’s granddaughter, RéAnna Simone Kelly, came to Bailey’s defense, saying her grandmother would have loved the rendition.
thank you so much. your grandmother!! what a legacy!!! i will forever x always love Ms. Simone. she has always inspired me 🖤🤎 https://t.co/kfANrRy1ZX
— Chlöe (@ChloeBailey) June 19, 2021
But, there was a surprising reaction from Simone’s granddaughter in the back and forth about her grandmother on Twitter. Someone asked about who was behind the Simone Twitter account.
That’s when the granddaughter went off on former California state Attorney General Kamala Harris, accusing her of seizing Simone’s estate from her family and “giving it to white people.”
Nina’s granddaughter here. My family doesn’t run her estate anymore. It was taken away from us & given to white people. Our family name was DRAGGED in the media. We get NO royalties, nothing. Wanna hold someone accountable?Ask Kamala Harris why she came for my family #NinaSimone https://t.co/mMXOz7iLxn
— RéAnna Simone Kelly (@reasiimone) June 19, 2021
She accused Harris of separating the family from their heritage and their family rights to Simone’s estate.
As I said before, Ask her why she separated my family. Ask her why my grandmothers estate is in SHAMBLES now. Ask her why we as her family no longer own the rights to anything. Ask her why she bullied my mother in court and my mom almost killed herself from the depression.
— RéAnna Simone Kelly (@reasiimone) June 19, 2021
After all that, then Harris had a famous Nina Simone song as part of her swearing-in festivities, her granddaughter ranted, which Kelly felt was deliberate.
OH WAIT, While we’re asking Kamala questions ask her why after all of this pain and suffering she put us through a Nina Simone song was sang at the inauguration to swear her in as VP?! She knew what she was doing.
— RéAnna Simone Kelly (@reasiimone) June 19, 2021
What Kelly is referencing is Harris’ part in 2016 decision against her mother’s handling of the estate.
A 2016 settlement regarding the Nina Simone Charitable Trust refers to Harris multiple times for her “primary responsibility for supervising charitable trusts in California” as state attorney general.
“The Attorney General asserts that [Lisa Simone] Kelly breached her fiduciary duty to the Estate and to the Charitable Trust and wrongfully diverted Estate assets. The Attorney General seeks to surcharge Kelly for amounts totaling $5,937,749.42 plus over $2.5 million in interest, which the Attorney General contends is far more than one-half of the Estate’s value during [Lisa Simone] Kelly’s administration of the Estate,” the settlement reads.
Lisa Simone Kelly, RéAnna’s mother, was removed as the estate administrator as a result.
The family obviously believes that was wrongly decided
Grandson Alexander Simone didn’t clarify who was actually administering the estate now, but said that what happened was very hard on the family.
“Nothing comes back to us,” he explained. “Nothing, no recognition. We kind of get overlooked. It’s sad, but it’s been happening so long that we’ve learned to live around it. Everybody else is benefiting off our family name, and nothing was really coming to the family.”
“As far as royalties or anything that has to be done, it doesn’t come back to us. It goes directly to the estate. It’s hard sometimes to fight a battle that they tried to make. It shouldn’t be a battle at all.”
Lisa Simone Kelly said on Instagram that she was limited in what she could say, but she said she agreed with her daughter, “THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE.”
I guess not.
To each his own
It’s all good. One likes what they like
Now that’s funny!!
Thanks for the laugh.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.