Al Sharpton said it best: "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color. Way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama, Michael did with music what they later did in sports, in politics and in television."
If there is such a thing as 'post-racial', Jackson was probably the first and most visible international post-racial figure that this country has ever produced. He made history uniting not only Americans, but the world through his music, much in the same way Obama has done with his campaign.
It's surprising therefore, that a day after the news of Michael Jackson's death and with the nation deep in mourning, President Obama has not personally acknowledged a man who helped paved the way for his election.
Although the president released a brief statement through his press secretary Robert Gibbs on Friday afternoon, much was left unsaid. He was characteristically cautious, aiming to strike a political balance when he called Michael Jackson a "spectacular performer" whose life was "sad and tragic."
1 comment:
Michael Jackson is an artist. Artists are cultural ambassadors to the world. And as such they change and convert minds when wars, broken treaties, and ignorance abounds. Michael Jackson's relevancy is right up there with Charlie Chaplin, The Beatles, Picasso, and other modern cultural icons. America's greatest strength has always been it's export of art. Yes, President Obama should acknowledge him. But not through a spokesperson or proxy, but as the leader of a mighty nation whose greatest soft power is art.
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