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Johannesburg, August (GYRP) – Nothing appeals to young people like music. Talk about pop music – and Michael Jackson will be a part of the story. Talk about Michael Jackson – and you get a man who cares about the environment.
MJ, as many young people call him, is a musician with a difference. He is the writer of the Earth Song, a number I believe he should have been here to sing at the opening of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
What about bleeding the earth? Can’t we feel its wounds? What about nature’s worth? These are some of the questions he poses in this song. He surely got the point, sustainability.
Michael Jackson has supported over 30 charity organizations either with monetary donations or by participating in their silent auctions. The charities involved include AIDS Project L.A., American Cancer Society, BMI Foundation, Inc., Childhelp USA, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), YMCA - 28th Street/Crenshaw, The Sickle Cell Research Foundation and Volunteers of America. In 1992 Michael also founded his humanitarian organization, the 'Heal the World Foundation,' that is dedicated to improving the lives of children around the globe.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born to Joseph and Katherine Jackson in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. He was the seventh of nine children. Michael began his musical career at the age of five as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who played local clubs and bars around Indiana and the Eastern USA.
The year 1985 saw the emergence of an international anthem with the release of the song 'We Are The World' which was written by Michael and Lionel Richie, and performed by 44 of the world's most popular stars (Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Cyndi Lauper, etc.). ‘We Are The World raised money for 'USA For Africa', a charity dedicated to helping starving people in Africa.
1995 saw Michael record a fifth solo album, titled 'HIStory', which contained 15 new songs in addition to an entire disc dedicated to his greatest hits, including Heal the World and Earth Song. He has sold well over 200 million albums around the globe and performed on every continent. He has led the world, creating the precedent that all artists and directors go by when creating music videos, and he continues to stimulate the entertainment industry with his innovative and educative music.
Perhaps this music could offer a sure way of spreading the sustainable development gospel. Today, beside the Summit delegates, not many a passer-by on the streets of Johannesburg will tell you the meaning of sustainability straight off.
If all young people in Johannesburg will join me at the end of the Summit to sing Michael Jackson’s Heal the World then we certainly will enrich the lives of many people that have not been part of the Summit.
And the song lyrics will help to spread the message of sustainability.
Happy belated birthday and long live MJ!
© GLOBAL YOUTH REPORTERS PROGRAMME
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Charles Sendegeya
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Comments
Great!!! Melissa S. | Jan 16th, 2003
I think this article is great!!!
love it!
Simona - Loredana Checherita | Mar 14th, 2003
Thank you so much for posting it! There is still sooo much more to say... Maybe I'll write an article on it myself someday soon. Bye!
Good!! Pinkamol | Jul 21st, 2003
Thanks ^^.
Are You Mad? x | Nov 28th, 2003
You have got to be kidding me. Sure, Micheal Jackson wants to heal the world, save the kids etc. But what about his, er, less NORMAL tendancies? You know what I'm talking about. The guy is a freak, get him locked up and REALLY save the children.
Do they really care about us? rodrigo_minamontalvo | Nov 29th, 2003
who are they??? who are you really talking about Michael? What about obscuring his actions by dumping real rubbish on him simply because he is trying to create conciousness? Open your eyes!!!!
Michael you will not be the first one not the last one that our "ignorant and blind humanity" is going to crucify for creating awareness...but as Liz Taylor wrote about you:".... he is not human".Thank you for carring(llevar) the message.
jesse adams | Jan 21st, 2004
I think most people would agree on the 'not human' comment though for different reasons. MJ is on trial for lewd acts and intoxicating children. Depite his talents as a singer/songwritter/dancer the man is a suspected paedophile who may have used his fame to attack a child. Because you like his music does not make him innocent.
Simona - Loredana Checherita | Aug 20th, 2004
...nor does reading filthy stuff in tabloids make them true!!! People like to sensationalize everything and - from what I've seen - don't care at all about other people suffering. Instead of trying to comfort the latter, people just secretely enjoy it! Admit it! So, instead of wondering if it's a popular thing to do (picking on Michael Jackson), maybe you should all try to be human for a change and get rid of prejudice...
MJ clarita zarate | Dec 1st, 2004
It does not seem to matter how many good acts a human being performs, when it comes to money, the media does not care. Be ready to go to the cleaners no matter who you are if you have anything thats worth taking. Unless you, even on a small scale, have had a bitter taste of what I am talking about, you will find it hard to believe. That there is a dark and hard reality that doesn't care about justice or who you are.
I say let your heart tell you what is true and not the media. Keep your mind alert and you'll see who the real crooks are. Michael has done good to a lot of people and I must take my hat off to him.
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