Urban Thought Collective

Each of us has mourned the death of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop in their own way. I downloaded his Thriller and Off the Wall albums to my IPOD and have been listening to them nonstop. Others have gone to pay their respects at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Apollo Theater and his childhood in Gary, Indiana. Unlike some who are focusing on his “troubled life” and the fact that he was a “tortured soul”, I want to celebrate his life and his music. I also want to focus on another great contribution Michael Jackson made. He made it cool for celebrities to support charitable causes.

In 2009, many celebrities have a foundation of their own or support charitable causes but that wasn’t the case in the 1980’s . Remember “We are the World”? When Michael Jackson was at the height of his popularity he, along with Lionel Richie, wrote “We are the World”, a song that raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Africa. We are the World was performed by a who’s who of popular artists at that time. Thirty Nine artists performed on the song: Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, Billy Joel, Dionne Warwick and Diana Ross to name a few. It became one of the biggest selling singles of all time with the proceeds going to famine relief in Africa. Michael Jackson skipped the American Music Awards ceremony to record the chorus of the song as a guide to the other artists.

Remember Ryan White? In 1984, Ryan White was diagnosed with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment. At that time AIDS carried a large stigma and White was prohibited him attending school because of his condition. His family filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban. Michael Jackson befriended White and appeared with him during his trial to show his support and demystify the stigma of AIDS. Some thought that was a risky thing to do because AIDS at the time was thought of as a “gay disease”.

Michael Jackson was listed in the 2000 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for the “Most Charities Supported by a Pop Star”, the number was 39. He supported causes such as USA for Africa, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation. And lets not forget Michael Jackson really didn’t have to do any of this. At the height of his popularity there was no one bigger than Michael Jackson. He wasn’t just a musician he was a celebrity icon. His music was the soundtrack of my teenage years. He didn’t need to give many to nonprofit organizations; he didn’t need to befriend Ryan White. He did those things out of the goodness of his heart.

I don’t want to focus on the negative aspects of Michael Jackson’s life which are now being discussed over and over in the press; I want to celebrate Michael Jackson, the artist and the philanthropist. When I listen, to Billie Jean, Beat It and Man in the Mirror, all I hear is the work of a genius. Being the “King of Pop” is amazing but being “King of Charities” is not so bad either.

So in addition to buying Michael Jackson’s music which I am sure all of us are going to do in the next few days, consider making a donation to charity as well. That’s what Michael Jackson did—he gave to others even though he didn’t have to, championed causes that were not popular, and befriended someone who had been vilified and stigmatized. Don’t forget that part of his legacy.

Angelia Dickens is an attorney and author with lots of thoughts and opinions, and now a place to share them (other than with her friends and family). Her blog is a compilation of her musings and commentary on charitable giving, volunteerism and philanthropy from an African-American perspective. Her writings have appeared in the Nonprofit Times and the Root.com. She can be reached at speakyourvoice@gmail.com. Read, comment and circulate.