It is no secret that Michael Jackson was a musical genius, but he also made great contributions to society! While researching Michael I did not focus much on his musical achievements though they played a hand in his fight for equality; I was aware that many of his songs were about equality and making a change in society’s judgements. Instead, I wanted to see what he did with his success and his platform. I had so much to learn.
Being born an African-American male in 1958 would not work in his favor. Michael Jackson had faced many adversities because he was African American, but that did not stop him from becoming a legend. As I researched I found many of his quotes, and as I read them, I could hear his soft gentle voice, full of passion. His sentence structure, and tone was so lyrical. One of my favorite quotes was his response to his favorite dance: “I start to spin as wildly as I can. This is my favorite dance because it contains a secret. The faster I twirl, the more I am still inside. My dance is all motion without all silence within. As much as I love to make music, it’s the unheard music that never dies.” It is absolutely beautiful. I could go on for hours about the emotion I felt through those five short sentences.
Michael was very active in helping lower income communities. He was honored in the Guinness World Records for supporting 39 charities, which was a record for the most supported by a pop star. Many of these charities focused on supporting children. Though there has been a lot of controversy surrounding his relationship with children, Michael paid visits to multiple children organizations, put on benefit concerts, and raised thousands of dollars for them. There is much more to learn about Michael Jackson’s accomplishments and contributions, and I look forward to sharing the accomplishments that many may not know about.
Ethnic American Literature 