Some Memphians question why Isaac Hayes’ funeral arrangements were handled by whites
Thad Matthews, talk radio host out of Memphis had an interesting show yesterday and he mentioned he had received a lot of calls earlier that day from individuals who were questioning why Isaac Hayes’ body/service was being held at a white owned funeral home as opposed to a black owned funeral home, when he was an Afrocentric guy who married and African woman and walked around the community wearing African clothing.
Matthews’ theory is that perhaps, his body may have been cremated, and that black funeral homes in the area, don’t provide this service. He suggested that perhaps higher up powers in the Church of Scientology religion had taken control of the funeral arrangements. It made for an interesting show which parlayed into the topic of questionable practices of some funeral home services. He was speaking from his experience of growing up around funeral homes:
“It was the African American community that made Isaac Hayes what Isaac Hayes was, Shaft and all those songs, the Stax recordings. Sure Isaac Hayes became an international icon, but who’s running things? Why is it that the only thing, and…some persons have come together, musicians…some of the Stax personnel, there is going to be a repass at 7 o’clock Monday night at the Executive Inn…but why is it that the white powers that be, that had apparently, control over this decided that the only thing that we’re gonna let happen in the African American community, ‘we’ll let ‘em eat. We’ll let ‘em get together.’
And again, I go back to something I stated yesterday, is the fact that these Negro funeral homes were attempting to body snatch. Plain and simple. Harold Ford Sr. flew all the way in from Boca Raton, Florida to try to get the body, black undertakers calling the family ‘can I have the body? We can do this and that?’" GET AUDIO CLIP
He revealed the exploitive nature of some funeral homes:
1. You should be insulted when someone from a funeral home shows up at your house immediately after a death offering their services, asking you to sign papers to release the body to them. I have never heard of this happening, but apparently, it does, and is probably more prevalent in poorer, crime-ridden neighborhoods. According to Thad, it is a common everyday practice. He add, when he was at a funeral home….the home paid the homicide detectives to provide next of kin information on all of the deaths cases they received.
2. “Do not take all of your insurance policies to a funeral home. Have an idea of what YOU want to spend.” If there aren't any pre-arrangements.
3. If someone dies in the house...let them go to the morgue. He adds, “One of the tricks in the funeral home business, is to catch you in a grieving state…if mama dies at 9 o’clock, you ain’t got no business at no funeral home by 12 o’clock. Give yourself a moment to grieve. Give yourself a moment to deal with the realization of the death, because one thing that undertakers understand is that at the moment that death occurs, you become temporarily insane and then you go into this guilt trip of you wanting to whatever you can do and spend all of the money you can to go into the ground. Let mama go into the morgue….then you got time to shop around."
4. The Federal Trade Commission regulates funeral homes. You need to get a price list and you need to know the service charge….because that is where the rip-off is, in the service charge.
5. He mentioned you could buy your own casket versus buying through the funeral home, which can save you hundreds to thousands. And according to Thad, the funeral home cannot refuse a casket you personally order have delivered to them.
Thad’s blog is becoming one of my daily visit blogs when I am online. He is always exposing debatable dealings of the Memphis Police Department and local politicians. His blog reads like a political soap opera, and it appears, someone is always leaking information to him. Similar activities are taking place at other police departments around the country, I am certain…so reading the blog, really causes the eyebrows to raise and the jaw to drop.
My thoughts on Isaac Hayes’ funeral arrangements: Maybe this is what Black Moses and his wife wanted.
Reference:
www.ThaddeusMatthews.com
Photo credit:
People.com
I agree with your last statement. Besides, some funeral homes are no better than vultures. Most are willing to assist the family and support them in their time of sorrow.......some? not so much.
People always have their gossip mouths on, just let the man rest in peace. Who cares how he was laid to rest? As long as him wife is happy with the arrangement, everyone else needs to be quiet.
Memphis just know that you had a legend in your midst and NOT the other one that everyone makes such a big deal out of.