Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The REAL Michael Jackson~A TRUE HUMANITARIAN


On June 25th, 2009, the world lost the Greatest Humanitarian ever to grace us with his presence. Michael Jackson was a gift from God. I have not seen, in my 42 years of life, another human being, musical artist or theatrical artist that has worked as tirelessly as Michael to make a change in our world.
Whether it be through feeding the poor, donating his entire proceeds of a concert tour to a third world-country, visiting cancer stricken children and bringing them gifts, or creating a fantasy land for underprivileged, sick and dying children, so they might have a haven of refuge for just a moment in their precious, but tumultuous lives, Michael made it happen. He created the Magic, not only for children, but for us all. He asked that we BELIEVE, and we did. He asked that we LOVE, and we do. He asked for PEACE, and we did not listen.
Michael gave his life for Peace. YES, I said he GAVE HIS LIFE FOR PEACE. He was creating a theatrical performance, a concert, unlike any other of all time and his message was that of PEACE and LOVE. His work for this show was so demanding, and if you know Michael, you know he is a perfectionist; and so throughout the rigorous and relentless process to create this masterpiece, his body gave out. Gone too soon.
The chronicles of charitable deeds and accomplishments of Michael Jackson have been richly documented. I have provided a list below, and this list is partly taken from the referenced Resolution, and somewhat taken from other online sources. This is only a SMALL list of the utilitarian efforts of which Michael fulfilled. I am sure, if I continued to search, I could find a list more than a mile long.
Michael also made history in 1992 by performing in cities around the world that had never before been visited by a Pop/Rock Artist and performed to sold out Stadiums such as Taipei, Tel Aviv, Moscow, Istanbul, Bucharest and many more, thus expanding his message of Hope, Love and Peace to all nations and inspiring other musical artists to do the same. As a result of this accomplishment, 'Heal The World' was born and 'Earth Song' became the acclamation of nations around the world.
Michael deserves to be honored. He deserved to be honored in LIFE, and I am extremely pleased that The U.S. House of Representatives was presented with a 'Resolution', but it certainly does not absolve the torture Michael was put through in the Mainstream Media and Tabloids, nor does it leave us grieving fans with any sense of Peace. Since this blog has been in my mind I have found out that House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, a democrat from California, blocked it from being passed. 
I write this article in remembrance of Michael Joseph Jackson; to remind those who misunderstood him, and for those who have forgotten his Humanitarian Acts while he was on this Earth, and how he did “MAKE THAT CHANGE”, for this is crucial in memorializing the Life of The Greatest Humanitarian that ever lived.    

As Michael once said, "What More Can I Give?" a song written, but never properly released for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina and then re-written by Michael for the victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country. There was only one sacrifice left to give; THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.
Below is a list of humanitarian acts that were presented to the US Congress and more taken from various sources on the internet.


1.              January 10, 1984: Michael visits the unit for burn victims at Brotman-Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles.

2.              April 9, 1984: David Smithee, a 14-year-old boy who suffers from cystic fibroses is invited to Michael’s home. It was David’s last wish to meet Michael. He dies 7 weeks later.

3.              April 14, 1984: Michael equips a 19-bed-unit at Mount Sinai New York Medical Centre. This centre is part of the T.J. Martell-Foundation for leukemia and cancer research.

4.              July 5, 1984: During the Jackson’s press conference at Tavern on the Green, Michael announces that his part of the earnings from the Victory Tour will be donated to three charitable organizations: The United Negro College Fund, Camp Good Times, and the T.J. Martell-Foundation.

5.              July 14, 1984: After the first concert of the Victory Tour, Michael meets 8 terminally ill children backstage.

6.              December 13, 1984: Michael visits Brotman Memorial Hospital, where he had been treated when he was burned very badly during the producing of a Pepsi commercial. He donates all the money he receives from Pepsi, $1.5 million, to the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children.

7.              January 28, 1985: Michael and 44 other artists meet to record “We Are The World”, written by Michael and Lionel Ritchie. The proceeds of this record are donated to the starving people in Africa.

8.              1986: Michael set up the “Michael Jackson UNCF Endowed Scholarship Fund”. This $1.5 million fund is aimed towards students majoring in performance art and communications, with money given each year to students attending a UNCF member college or university.

9.              February 28, 1986: After having had a heart-transplant, 14-year-old Donna Ashlock from California gets a call from Michael Jackson. He had heard that she is a big fan of his. Michael invites her to his home as soon as she is feeling better. This visit takes place on March 8th.Donna stays for dinner and watches a movie together with Michael.

10.          September 13, 1987: Michael supports a campaign against racism. He supports efforts of the NAACP, to fight prejudices against black artists.

11.          October 1987: At the end of his Bad Tour, Michael donates some personal items to the UNESCO for a charitable auction. The proceeds will be for the education of children in developing countries.

12.          February 1, 1988: The Song “Man in the Mirror” enters the charts. The proceeds from the sales of this record goes to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a camp for children who suffer from cancer.

13.          March 1, 1988: At a press conference held by his sponsor, Pepsi, Michael presents a $600,000 check to the United Negro College Fund.

14.          April 1988: Free tickets are given away for three concerts in Atlanta, Georgia to the Make a Wish Foundation.

15.          May 22, 1988: Michael visits children who suffer from cancer in the Bambini-Gesu Children’s Hospital in Rome. He signs autographs and gives away sweets and records to the little patients. He promises a check of $100,000 to the hospital.

16.          July 16, 1988: Before a concert at Wembley Stadium Michael meets the Prince of Wales and his wife Diana. He hands over a check for $250,000 for the Prince’s Trust, and a check for approximately $170,000 for the Children’s Hospital at Great Ormond Street.

17.          July 20, 1988: Michael visits terminally ill children at Great Ormond Street Hospital. At a unit for less critical patients he stays a little bit longer and tells a story.

18.          August 29, 1988: At his 30th birthday Michael performs a concert in Leeds, England for the English charity-organization “Give for Life”. The goal of this organization is the immunization of children. Michael presents a check for $106,000.

19.          December 1988: Michael visits 12-year-old David Rothenburg. His father had 5 years earlier burned him very badly in an act of revenge against his former wife.

20.          January 1989: The proceeds of one of Michael’s shows in Los Angeles are donated to Child help USA, the biggest charity-organization against child-abuse. In appreciation of the contributions of Michael, Child help of Southern California is founding the “Michael Jackson International Institute for Research on Child Abuse”. One of the biggest charity-organization against child-abuse. In appreciation of the contributions of Michael, Child help of Southern California is founding the “Michael Jackson International Institute for Research On Child Abuse”.

21.          January 10, 1989: The Bad Tour comes to an end. Under-privileged children are donated tickets for each concert and Michael donates money to hospitals, orphanages and charity-organizations.

22.          March 5, 1989: Michael invites 200 deprived children of the St. Vincent Institute for Children with Disabilities and of the Organization Big Brothers and Big Sisters to the Circus Vargas in Santa Barbara. After this event he invites them to his ranch to introduce them to his private zoo at his Neverland Ranch.

23.          November 13, 1989: The organization “Wishes Granted” helps 4-year-old Darien Pagan, who suffers from Leukemia to meet Michael. Michael invites the little boy to a performance of Canadian Acrobats.

24.          December 28, 1989: Young Ryan White, who suffers from Hemophilia, spends his holidays on Michael’s Neverland Ranch. Ryan had been infected with AIDS by contaminated blood transfusions in 1984. After he was excluded from his school in Kokomo, Ryan fought against the discrimination of AIDS victims.

25.          January 6, 1990: Michael invites 82 abused and neglected children through Child Help to his Neverland Ranch. There are games, a barbecue and a movie show provided for them.

26.          July 1990: 45 children from the Project Dream Street, Los Angeles, for children with life-threatening illness are invited to Neverland Valley.

27.          May 6, 1992: Michael defrays the funeral-expenses for Ramon Sanchez, who was killed during the Los Angeles riots.

28.          June 26, 1992: Michael presents the Mayor of Munich, Mr. Kronawitter, with a 40,000 DM-check for the needy people of the city.

29.          June 29, 1992: Michael visits the Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam and presents a check for 100,000 pounds.

30.          July 1992: Michael donated L. 821,477,296 to La Partita del Cuore (The Heart Match) in Rome and donated 120,000 DM to children’s charities in Estonia and Latvia.

31.          July 25, 1992: On the occasion of a concert in Dublin, Ireland, Michael announces that he will give 400,000 pounds from the tour earnings to various charities.

32.          July 29, 1992: Michael visits the Queen Elizabeth Children’s Hospital in London. To the surprise the children, he brings Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Euro-Disney to the hospital.

33.          August 16, 1992: 6 year old Nicholas Killen, who lost his eyesight caused by a life aiding cancer surgery, meets Michael backstage in Leeds, England.

34.          September 1992: Michael donated 1 million pesetas to charity headed by the Queen of Spain.

35.          September 30, 1992: President Iliescu of Romania inaugurates a playground for 500 orphans which Michael has financed. Michael discusses his Heal The World Foundation.

36.          October 1, 1992: Michael chooses a concert in Bucharest, Romania for worldwide television broadcast. Bucharest is a logical choice due to the numerous orphanages the country is known for.

37.          November 24, 1992: At Kennedy Airport in New York, Michael supervises the loading of 43 tons of medication, blankets, and winter clothes destined for Sarajevo. The Heal the World Foundation collaborates with AmeriCares to bring resources totaling $2.1 million to Sarajevo. They will be allocated under the supervision of the United Nations.

38.          December 10, 1992: During a press conference at the American Embassy in Tokyo Michael is presented with a check for $100,000 to go to the Heal The World Foundation by Tour Sponsor Pepsi.

39.          December 26, 1992: During a broadcast request for donations to the United Negro College Fund, Michael declares: “Black Colleges and Universities are breeding some of the leading personalities of our time. They are on top in business, justice, science and technologies, politics and religion. I am proud that the Michael Jackson Scholarship Program enabled more than 200 young men and women to get a qualified education.”

40.          January 19, 1993: Michael is one of the stars to perform at the Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton. Before he sings “Gone Too Soon”, he draws the attention to the plights of the victims of AIDS and mentions his friend Ryan White.

41.          January 26, 1993: At a press conference held at Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Michael is presented with a $200,000 donation from the National Football League and the Sponsors of the Super Bowl. He gets another $500,000 from the BEST Foundation all to go to the Heal the World Foundation. At this occasion, the foundation of “Heal L.A.” is officially announced.

42.          February 1993: In association with Sega, MJ launched an in initiative to distribute more than $108,000 worth of computer games and equipment to children’s hospitals, children’s homes, and children’s charities throughout the U.K.

43.          October 28, 1993: Michael makes it possible for 5000 underprivileged children to visit the Reino Aventura Park, where the whale Keiko (”FreeWilly”) is living.

44.          November 5, 1993: Michael is guest at a children’s party at the Hard Rock Cafe in Mexico City.

45.          December 1993: In association with the Gorbachev Foundation, Michael sponsored the airlifting of 60,000 doses of children’s vaccines to Tblisi, Georgia.

46.          August 6, 1994: Michael and his wife Lisa Marie are visiting two children's hospitals in Budapest. They distribute toys to the ill children.

47.          June 21, 1996: Michael donated a four-time platinum disc of “History” inaid of the Dunblane appeal at the Royal Oak Hotel, Sevenoaks, in England.

48.          July 18, 1996: In Soweto, South Africa Michael lays down a wreath of flowers for youngsters who have been killed during the fights involving Apartheid.

49.          September 1996: The first Sports Festival “Hope” was held for orphans and disadvantaged children. 3000 children and 600 volunteers took part in the Sports Festival and Michael Jackson was a special guest.

50.          September 6, 1996: Michael visits the children’s unit of a hospital in Prague. Helped to launch the Michael Jackson International Book Club, part of his new Heal the Kids charity, which aims to promote childhood reading and encourage parents to return to reading bedtime stories.

51.          Throughout June 1999, Jackson was involved in a number of charitable events. He joined Luciana Pavarotti for a benefit concert in Modena, Italy. The show was in support of the non-profit organization Warchild, and raised a million dollars for the refugees of Kosovo, as well as additional funds for the children of Guatemala. Later that same month, Jackson organized a set of "Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit concerts in Germany and Korea. Other artists involved included Slash, The Scorpions, Boyz II Men, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, A. R. Rahman, Prabhu Deva Sundaram, Shobana Chandrakumar, Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti. The proceeds went to the "Nelson Mandela Children's Fund", the Red Cross and UNESCO.

52.          September 15, 2002: Michael donated 16 exclusively autographed items consisting of CD’s, videos and 2 cotton napkins to aid in the support of the victims of a severe flood in Germany. These items were auctioned off for charity and managed to raise 3935 Euro (US$ 3,814).

53.          October 12, 2002: Michael Jackson invited more than 200 Team Vandenberg members, who recently returned from overseas deployments and their families to his Neverland Ranch. This was to show his appreciation for the sacrifices the military service men and women made in his community.

54.          November 21, 2002: Michael donated a jacket to the Bambi Charity Event in Berlin which raised $16,000.

55.          April 25, 2002: Michael Jackson performed at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at the Apollo Theater in Harlem helping to raise nearly $3 million dollars towards voter registration.

56.          June 2003: The Wolf family, who experienced serious damages to their belongings during the flood in Saxony, Germany last August, was invited to Berlin by Michael Jackson when he was at the Bambi Awards. On that occasion Michael invited them to Neverland. In June, they spent three days at Neverland, meeting Michael and his children.



As Michael once said, "What More Can I Give?" a song written, but never properly released for the Victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country, and then re-written by Michael for the Victims Hurricane Katrina. There was only one sacrifice left to give; THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.



Although this may not be a complete list, along with his charitable deeds, this IS enough for Michael to be nominated for the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, albeit a Posthumous recognition!

1 comment:

  1. I AM STILL WORKING ON THIS BLOG! SORRY IT IS INCOMPLETE! BEEN A CRAZY PAST FEW MONTHS! THANK FOR YOUR PATIENCE! L.O.V.E.

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