Michael Jackson is dead. What did he mean to us? Was he good or bad?
Jackson narrowed his nose and magically changed his skin colour. The cosmetic enhancements and skin lightening which diminished his African facial features were troubling and comics even joked about him turning into a white woman. Jackson's skin colour changed from nutmeg to vanilla, he claimed he suffered from melanin-diluting vitiligo but many believed he intentionally bleached his skin to look white.
As a community we always talk about racism but we tend to be the biggest self-haters ourselves. Jackson's image problem was made in honky TV, they tell us its no good to be Black, they make us feel bad about ourselves. With Obama on the scene that will change.
The child molestation charges were bogus, a chance for gold diggers to get some green. Honky TV grabbed the chance to dis him to bring down a major Black man in America.
Being Black in the United States of America is complicated to deal with and Jackson was clearly struggling with what it is to be African in America.
Jackson opened the door for Black American performers to feel comfortable making the type of music they wanted to make and not be boxed in by standard definitions of black music. He should be remembered for that gift he gave us all.
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