More than two and a half years after his untimely death, Michael Jackson continues to entertain. Cirque du Soleil’s crowd-pleasing Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour is currently crisscrossing North America, while a recent Jackson-themed episode of Glee earned the show a 16 percent jump in ratings and its highest music sales of the season. Even Madonna’s halftime Super Bowl spectacle harkened back to a trend first initiated by Jackson.

But there is another crucial part of Jackson’s legacy that deserves attention: his pioneering role as an African-American artist working in an industry still plagued by segregation, stereotypical representations, or little representation at all.

Jackson never made any qualms about his aspirations. He wanted to be the best. When his highly successful Off the Wall album (in 1981, the best-selling album ever by a black artist) was slighted at the Grammy Awards, it only fueled Jackson’s resolve to create something better. His next album, Thriller, became the best-selling album by any artist of any race in the history of the music industry. It also won a record-setting seven Grammy awards, broke down color barriers on radio and TV, and redefined the possibilities of popular music on a global scale.

Yet among critics (predominantly white), skepticism and suspicion only grew. “He will not swiftly be forgiven for having turned so many tables,” predicted James Baldwin in 1985, “for he damn sure grabbed the brass ring, and the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo has nothing on Michael.”

Baldwin proved prophetic. In addition to a flood of ridicule regarding his intelligence, race, sexuality, appearance, and behavior, even his success and ambition were used by critics as evidence that he lacked artistic seriousness. Reviews frequently described his work as “calculating,” “slick,” and “shallow.” Establishment rock critics such as Dave Marsh and Greil Marcus notoriously dismissed Jackson as the first major popular music phenomenon whose impact was more commercial than cultural. Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen, they claimed, challenged and re-shaped society. Jackson simply sold records and entertained.

The point of his ambition wasn’t money and fame; it was respect.
It shouldn’t be much of a strain to hear the racial undertones in such an assertion. Historically, this dismissal of black artists (and black styles) as somehow lacking substance, depth and import is as old as America. It was the lie that constituted minstrelsy. It was a common criticism of spirituals (in relation to traditional hymns), of jazz in the ’20s and ’30s, of R&B in the ’50s and ’60s, of funk and disco in the ’70s, and of hip-hop in the ’80s and ’90s (and still today). The cultural gatekeepers not only failed to initially recognize the legitimacy of these new musical styles and forms, they also tended to overlook or reduce the achievements of the African-American men and women who pioneered them. The King of Jazz, for white critics, wasn’t Louis Armstrong, it was Paul Whiteman; the King of Swing wasn’t Duke Ellington, it was Benny Goodman; the King of Rock wasn’t Chuck Berry or Little Richard, it was Elvis Presley.

Given this history of white coronation, it is worth considering why the media took such issue with referring to Michael Jackson as the King of Pop. Certainly his achievements merited such a title. Yet up until his death in 2009, many journalists insisted on referring to him as the “self-proclaimed King of Pop.” Indeed, in 2003, Rolling Stone went so far as to ridiculously re-assign the title to Justin Timberlake. (To keep with the historical pattern, just last year the magazine devised a formula that coronated Eminem–over Run DMC, Public Enemy, Tupac, Jay-Z, or Kanye West–as the King of Hip Hop).

Jackson was well-aware of this history and consistently pushed against it. In 1979, Rolling Stone passed on a cover story about the singer, saying that it didn’t feel Jackson merited front cover status. “I’ve been told over and over again that black people on the covers of magazines don’t sell copies,” an exasperated Jackson told confidantes. “Just wait. Some day those magazines will come begging for an interview.”

Jackson, of course, was right (Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner actually sent a self-deprecatory letter acknowledging the oversight in 1984). And during the 1980s, at least, Jackson’s image seemed ubiquitous. Yet over the long haul, Jackson’s initial concern seems legitimate. As shown in the breakdown below, his appearances on the front cover of Rolling Stone, the United States’ most visible music publication, are far fewer than those of white artists:

John Lennon: 30
Mick Jagger: 29
Paul McCartney: 26
Bob Dylan: 22
Bono: 22
Bruce Springsteen: 22
Madonna: 20
Britney Spears: 13
Michael Jackson: 8 (two came after he died; one featured Paul McCartney as well)

Is it really possible that Michael Jackson, arguably the most influential artist of the 20th century, merited less than half the coverage of Bono, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna?

Of course, this disregard wasn’t limited to magazine covers. It extended into all realms of print media. In a 2002 speech in Harlem, Jackson not only protested his own slights, but also articulated how he fit into a lineage of African-American artists struggling for respect:

All the forms of popular music from jazz to hip-hop, to bebop, to soul [come from black innovation]. You talk about different dances from the catwalk, to the jitterbug, to the charleston, to break dancing — all these are forms of black dancing…What would [life] be without a song, without a dance, and joy and laughter, and music. These things are very important but if you go to the bookstore down the corner, you will not see one black person on the cover. You’ll see Elvis Presley, you’ll see the Rolling Stones…But we’re the real pioneers who started these [forms].”

While there was certainly some rhetorical flourish to his “not one black person on the cover” claim, his broader point of severely disproportionate representation in print was unquestionably accurate. Books on Elvis Presley alone outnumber titles on Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson combined.

When I began my book, Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson, in 2005, there wasn’t one serious book focused on Jackson’s creative output. Indeed, at my local Barnes & Noble, I could find only two books about him, period. Both dealt with the scandals and controversies of his personal life.

It seemed the only way Michael Jackson could get covered was if he was presented as a freak, a curiosity, a spectacle. Even reviews of his albums, post-Thriller, focused on the sensational and were overwhelmingly condescending, when not outright hostile.

Of course, this poor coverage wasn’t only about race. Biases were often more subtle, veiled and coded. They were wrapped together with his overall otherness and conflated with the “Wacko Jacko” media construct. In addition, as Baldwin astutely noted, there were not entirely unrelated apprehensions about his wealth and fame, anxieties about his eccentricities and sexuality, confusion about his changing appearance, contempt for his childlike behavior, and fears about his power.

But the bottom line is this: Somehow, in the midst of the circus that surrounded him, Jackson managed to leave behind one of the most impressive catalogs in the history of music. Rarely has an artist been so adept at communicating the vitality and vulnerability of the human condition: the exhilaration, yearning, despair, and transcendence. Indeed, in Jackson’s case he literally embodied the music. It charged through him like an electric current. He mediated it through every means at his disposal–his voice, his body, his dances, films, words, technology and performances. His work was multi-media in a way never before experienced.

This is why the tendency of many critics to judge his work against circumscribed, often white, Euro-American musical standards is such a mistake. Jackson never fit neatly into categories and defied many of the expectations of rock/alternative enthusiasts. He was rooted deeply in the African-American tradition, which is crucial to understanding his work. But the hallmark of his art is fusion, the ability to stitch together disparate styles, genres and mediums to create something entirely new.

If critics simply hold Jackson’s lyrics on a sheet of paper next to those of Bob Dylan, then, they will likely find Jackson on the short end. It’s not that Jackson’s lyrics aren’t substantive (on the HIStory album alone, he tackles racism, materialism, fame, corruption, media distortion, ecological destruction, abuse, and alienation). But his greatness is in his ability to augment his words vocally, visually, physically, and sonically, so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Listen, for example, to his non-verbal vocalizations–the cries, exclamations, grunts, gasps, and improvisatory vernacular–in which Jackson communicates beyond the strictures of language. Listen to his beat boxing and scatting; how he stretches or accents words; his James Brown-like staccato facility; the way his voice moves from gravelly to smooth to sublime; the passionate calls and responses; the way he soars just as naturally with gospel choirs and electric guitars.

Listen to his virtuosic rhythms and rich harmonies; the nuanced syncopation and signature bass lines; the layers of detail and archive of unusual sounds. Go beyond the usual classics, and play songs like “Stranger in Moscow,” “I Can’t Help It ,” “Liberian Girl ,” “Who Is It,” and “In the Back.” Note the range of subject matter, the spectrum of moods and textures, the astounding variety (and synthesis) of styles. On the Dangerous album alone, Jackson moves from New Jack Swing to classical, hip hop to gospel, R&B to industrial, funk to rock. It was music without borders or barriers, and it resonated across the globe.

However, it wasn’t until Jackson’s death in 2009 that he finally began to engender more respect and appreciation from the intelligentsia. It is one of humanity’s strange habits to only truly appreciate genius once it’s gone. Still, in spite of the renewed interest, the easy dismissals and disparity in serious print coverage remains.

As a competitor on par with the legendary Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson wouldn’t be satisfied. His goal was to prove that a black artist could do everything a white artist could (and more). He wanted to move beyond every boundary, earn every recognition, break every record, and achieve artistic immortality (“That is why to escape death,” he said, “I bind my soul to my work”). The point of his ambition wasn’t money and fame; it was respect.

As he boldly proclaimed in his 1991 hit, “Black or White,” “I had to tell them I ain’t second to none.”

SOURCE:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/02/the-misunderstood-power-of-michael-jacksons-music/252751/

MICHAEL’S DANGEROUS GIRLS IN COLLABORATION  with

  CARLA DE FELICI of MICHAEL JACKSON ITALIAN FOUNDATION

On June 25 Michael Jackson will be remembered in one of the most important churches in Rome, “Santa Maria in Montesanto”, known as the “Church of the Artists” because for over 50 years every Sunday a Holy Mass is celebrated in the presence of famous people in the entertainment industry, culture and art. In that same church, located in one of the most beautiful squares in the world – Piazza del Popolo, funerals of people connected to the world of art, film and music are often celebrated.

The cultural and artistic impact of Michael Jackson in his singing production involves social problems about the disadvantaged, the neglect, the abused people and those living in abandon.

“In this church, at 7:30 p.m., to honor Michael Jackson four years after his passing, a Mass will be celebrated by Father Walter Insero, who we’d like to thank for understanding our desire to help others and the real meaning that’s the core of every initiative of ours.”

All in the name of love, that unconditional love that should be the basis of all human relationships, but that too often people forget to give each other.

On June 25, 2009, an extraordinary human being left us, but his voice didn’t follow the same fate … rather it spread throughout the world, instilling love in the hearts of many people. Since then, that voice echoed everywhere, rejuvenated by those who have been able to grasp his message, and his legacy lives on as an example of consistency, genius, magic and art.

But the most important legacy of Michael Jackson is the neighborly love and the ability to make a change, to “make the world a better place” starting with the man in the mirror.

Surrounded by envy, Michael became the target of slander, yet he consistently put anyone else before himself, creating an immortal music that will continue to sing his love forever.

On June 25, 2013, at 19.30 will be celebrated by the Rector of Don Walter Insero in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto, known to all as the church of the artists in Piazza del Popolo, a mass suffrage in honor of Michael Jackson.

At the end of the liturgy the group “All Over Gospel Choir” will perform a few Michael Jackson’s songs alternated with the traditional gospel repertoire

Like any initiative dedicated to Michael Jackson, this is for charity and all your contributions will be donated to the AMOC Onlus

All the participants who can’t be present at the event will receive by e-mail a souvenir personalized with their own names. Please note that the souvenir is still in the making, so it may not be sent contextually to the donation.

Those who we’ll have the pleasure to meet in Rome will receive the gift personally.

FRONGIA DANIELA

FRNDNL47C46D612S

Phone: 4023 6004 4798 7787

Donations can be sent through Paypal at the following address:

use email for paypal – > blasi.cristiana@tisc ali.it

Thank you!

Source:

MJJCommunity.com

vallieegirl67.com

The Michael Jackson fan group MJHellas  from Greece is organizing a letter and petition campaign to ALL MEDIA-  We encourage all MJ Fan clubs, forums, Advocacy groups and individuals within the MJGlobal family, to participate in this endeavor. We must remember that only in  our UNITY do we have power to make change.

To add your name to this Open Letter to Media or to ask for more information -

Contact MJHellas  facebook page or email them at  mjhellas@gmail.com

Pls do share these links in any social medium engine at your disposal MJHellas Letter To the Media   and Petition

Michael Jackson deserves respect as a man of great principles he lived his life of service to humanity.  For 25 yrs the public has been mislead and misinformed in may aspects of his life as he held the correct notion that his privacy should be upheld no matter how internationally famous he became. Unfortunately, within a information vacuum erroneous information was substituted and most often times by malicious eager reporters wishing to ride his meteoric coattails to the top of their respective “journalistic” careers. It mattered not to them whether a story was true, merely that it was salacious and sensational.

 ”If you hear a lie enough times, it begins to sound like the truth”

and “Good news doesn’t sell”   Michael Jackson

- With these two idioms firm in his mind he knew that if had a bit of wine, like millions of others do around the world,  it would be reported “he had a drinking problem”- When he had cosmetic surgery, as many millions do around the world it was reported he had “body dismorphic disorder” – If he was seen in a casino, he’d have a “gambling addiction”  No matter what Michael would never have the same allowances to live freely, with the liberty and the ability to pursue happiness as any other free individual without his everyday common activities being distorted in the press.

In the wake of his death – We, as his MJGlobal family should feel empathetic enough to challenge the media’s need to inflict more emotional pain upon his children.

We understand that the Katherine Jackson vs. AEG case is fodder for news agencies all over the world  and that it is necessary that it be reported but we are asking for a small amount of mercy.  A few days back, the National Enquirer tabloid magazine, posted Michael Jackson’s semi-nude autopsy picture on their front page and then used this graphically disturbing visage as its background on the National Enquirer, Twitter account.

This is why we have agreed to assist MJHellas in this most righteous endeavor in contacting major media groups to refrain from using this autopsy picture while reporting on AEG trial or any other story on Michael Jackson.

We know that is within their legal right to do so but is it ethical or morally right?

We don’t think so.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Much appreciation to Dr. Patrick Treacy for the link to this glorious story:

In light of today’s bombing of the Boston marathon fueled by hate –  it is almost too appropriate to report the LOVE  that the Michael Jackson Portrait Tribute group and Artist David Ilan have extended  to two Irish burn victims who Michael Jackson wanted to visit during their hospitalization, seven years ago.  By Anne Sheridan
Published on 15/04/2013 16:00

PETROL bomb victims Millie and Gavin Murray never got to meet singer Michael Jackson, inspite of his repeated pleas to see them, but now a major tribute group of the singer wants them to “have a place in his heart.”

The children, who suffered horrific skin burns in an infamous petrol bomb attack in Moyross seven years ago, have been asked to take part in the Michael Jackson tribute portrait, which has seen some of the world’s most famous stars place a dot in a portrait of the late singer.

A spokesperson for Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait said they hope the Murray family will accept their offer.

The Los Angeles-based artist behind the project, David Ilan, is also hoping to travel to Ireland “to honour the children in person”.

The portrait, which is made up of a million dots representing hundreds of thousands of people world-wide, is described as “the largest and most respected global tribute to Michael Jackson in the world”.

They state: “We have chosen Millie and Gavin in particular because of their spirit to overcome, and the commitment of Michael Jackson to support children in physically and spiritually overcoming trauma”.

“We would like to continue Michael’s legacy by honoring Millie and Gavin with dots in the heart of the portrait.”

“We would like to present Millie and Gavin with a dot near Michael’s own dot, in the area of the heart. This is a special section of the portrait reserved for Michael’s family, friends, colleagues, celebrity fans who carry his legacy and honorees like Millie and Gavin, who we know Michael did hold (or would have held) dear to his heart.”

Dr. Patrick Treacy told the Limerick Leader that during the six months Michael Jackson lived in Ireland he asked about the children every day, and “cried” after hearing about the attack on them.

The Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait is supported by members of the Jackson family, and many of his closest friends and colleagues. Some of the celebrities who support the Tribute include Diana Ross, Maya Angelou, MacCauley Culkin, Gladys Knight and Jermaine Jackson.

“This tribute is not a one-night event, but rather a one-of-a-kind ongoing tribute created on a daily basis by the fans themselves. Michael’s tribute portrait is an interactive, amazing work of art comprised of hand-drawn dots that come together to create the image of Michael Jackson. The portrait represents the millions of lives touched by Michael Jackson’s unparalleled work in music and entertainment, his consummate generosity and his humanitarian mission”.

On September 10, 2006, a plastic bottle was filled with petrol, set alight and thrown in through the rear window of their mother Sheila’s Toyota Corolla in Moyross, after she refused to give someone a lift into the city.

Seven years on and now aged 10 and 12, Gavin and Millie continue to require skin grafts and surgery as a result of the disfigurements they suffered.

The family is considering the offer.

Source http://www.limerickleader.ie/lifestyle/entertainment-arts/music/gavin-and-millie-to-be-honoured-in-jackson-tribute-1-5000209

MJJJP: Eliza, where did you begin your training as an artist or are you self- taught?

Eliza: I am self-taught, I have never had any formal training in drawing.

MJJJP: You draw many beautiful portraits.  Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Grace of Monaco, Madonna, Frank Sinatra, but you focus mostly on Michael Jackson… Why?

Eliza: I focus mostly on Michael Jackson because I am not only impressed with his musical talent but also his huge heart, he also in my eyes is a very handsome man.  I want my drawings to express his enormous charisma and to show the world that he is indeed a very beautiful man. In his stunning dark brown eyes you can find many emotions; sunshine in his happiness and heartbreak in his sadness.

MJJJP:   Is painting something you have always loved and what did you start out painting, why is always portraits?

Eliza: I have loved painting since I was a little girl but never found the time to draw until August 2007.  Portraits to me are ‘LIFE’ and I love drawing them. A photograph captures a person’s emotion at that moment that it was taken, whether it is happiness or sadness.  I want to capture those expressions and emotions, especially the look in their eyes. I want my work to come alive.

MJJJP: What medium do you prefer to work with and why?

Eliza: In the past I preferred to use drawing pencils.  I love the different shades of black, white and grey.  I also love black and white photographs.

MJJJP: I’ve noticed in some of your portraits that you use just a hint of color, for example, the drawing you did of Elizabeth Taylor you used color on her lips and I believe her eyes.  Is there a reason for this and are you now using more color in your artwork?

Eliza: I use just a hint of color to bring out the beauty of that person.  In the drawing of Elizabeth Taylor, I added the hint of violet to enhance her famous violet eyes and orange-pink to her lips to make them look ‘tempting and kissable’ LOL In the two drawings of Paris Jackson, I put a hint of color on her beautiful eyes and lips.  I wanted to enhance her big beautiful eyes.  I find the essence of her father in her eyes. I am now trying to use other mediums like colored pencils and pastels.  I wanted to make a change because I have been using pencils on more than 200  pieces I have done. As I have never had any formal training I am not sure if my technique is right or wrong, I just do what is comfortable for me.  For instance, I use colored pencils on water color papers and pastels on cartridge papers which may make a true artist laugh.

MJJJP: You have a beautiful book entitled Art Inspired by A True Artist:  A loving Tribute to the King of Pop Michael J. Jackson 1958 – Forever.  What made you decide to publish a book of your drawings specifically about MJ, why not all of your celebrity portraits?

Eliza: After I had done around 100 drawings of Michael Jackson, the thought came to me that I would like to publish a book with my work and donate all of the proceeds to charity.  I felt that this was the best way to continue Michael’s dream of helping underprivileged children and also a way for me to honor this beautiful man who has brought so much happiness to the world.  His message of love is immense and has changed many to become better people, to care for each other and to help to save the planet!

MJJJP: I assume it is self published. How difficult was that and were you looking for a publisher before you decided to self-publish?

Eliza: Yes, I did self-publish the book.  I went through many difficulties but I never gave up.  I had knocked on the doors of many publishers, but they were not interested and others never replied to my mail.

MJJJP: What has Michael brought to your life on a personal  and an artistic level?

Eliza: Michael was a true artist in many fields such as music, dancing and drawing but most importantly his humanitarian work touched my heart the most.  I love his child’s heart, innocence and purity, and how he always stayed positive even in his darkest days. He cared for the planet and always helped those in need.  As an artist, he taught us to reach for the impossible, to have faith in ourselves and always believe that our dreams will come true; never give up.  He is a good example for us to follow.  Even though he is gone he has left an enormous legacy for us.

MJJJP: Can you tell us a little about the charity that the proceeds from your work are donated to?

Eliza: The charity is called Feed My Starving Children which is a non-profit organization  founded in 1987 by a businessman who felt called to help to feed the starving children in the world and developed a method of large scale relief.  Each meal costs 22 cents to produce and has 20 different vitamins and minerals that are specifically tailored to meet a child’s nutritional needs for one day. 93 percent of total donations go directly to the food program. You can find more about FMSC at www.fmsc.org.

MJJJP: Thank you Eliza for dedicating your time and effort to Michael and to his legacy.  Your work is lovely and I hope to see much more of it.  Please take a look at Eliza’s lovely artwork here

You can purchase Eliza’s beautiful book here

WITH A CHILD’S HEART - Charitable Giving Thru OneRose4MJJ

Michael Jackson received a multitude of flowers in his lifetime and he graciously accepted every one as he understood it was a demonstration of affection, appreciation and love.

Whether it was two dozen or one single bud, he understood the feelings behind each bloom and the power of this demonstration of LOVE.

This is why we support OneRose4MJJ annual campaign to send Michael these expressions of individual love from his MJGlobal family members who, through circumstance beyond their control, would wish to give them personally, but are unable to visit Holly Terrace.  We urge participation worldwide as Michael’s love encompassed all cultures, customs, religions, ideologies and race.

This year we’d like to incorporate an additional path of expressing our love for Michael to people who feel as if flowers don’t express their intentions as well as giving to charity in Michael’s name might.  The OneRose4MJJ group has three charities that they promote year round – Please read about each one of these charities in detail via these links on their website.  UNICEF, American Vitiligo Research Foundation, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

In cooperation with StopGlobalAirwaveAbuse, MJJJusticeProject will be pledging and encouraging any other groups or individuals to pledge a certain amount of monies for every 1000 roses sent to Michael with all the love attached to each stem.

The amount of the pledge is totally up to the discretion of the giver but we do suggest capping it at an amount that is affordable because we don’t know how many roses will be purchased and we have hopes to exceed last years, 10,477 count.  SGAA and MJJJP have agreed to donate $50 each  for each incremental count of 1000 roses, both of us will cap out at $600 (12X50), which is a total of 12,000 roses and $1200 to be distributed to the charity we designate on OneRose4MJJ  donations links below:

We encourage other groups who wish to support Michael’s mission in life which was to help children through acts of charity and research of medicine and immunization throughout our world, to join us in this endeavor.  The massive amounts of roses sent to Holly Terrace is not only an expression of love from individual fans but also a great display to the world that this man, our beloved brother, influenced a mindset of global brotherhood, tolerance and acceptance.

If you are interested pls do leave a comment here with contact information, amount pledged per 1000 roses and capped amount and we will add your name to our list of Pledgees. We shall also pass your information onto OneRose4MJJ OR you may contact Robyn S.  or Sarrah N. directly to make arrangements for your participation.

Robyn S facebook and Twitter OneRose4MJJ

Sarrah facebook and Twitter MJCB_Junky

Pledgee List, Amount per 1000 Roses 

MJJJustice Project                                                    $50.00   Capped at $600

Stop Global Airwave Abuse                                     $50.00   Capped at $600

MJ Fans of Montreal                                                 $15.00   Capped at $240

MJ Fans of New York                                                $15.00  Capped at  $240

JUSTICE4MJ Deborah Longshaw                           $10.00  Capped at  $150

Links to Donate to Charities sponsored by OneRose4MJJ

UNICEF  Immunizations 

American Vitilgo Research Foundation 

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

If you rather just make a one time donation to any of these charities as a tribute to Michael Jackson,  please do so by clicking the links above. Post or email acknowledgement of your donations from the charity and we will list your name and  hyperlink your url to our post. email mjjjusticeproject@gmail.com

Please read OneRose4MJJ Childhood of Hope-

Groups promoting unity, love and brotherhood are so much appreciated and will be acknowledged in this endeavor.

UPDATE 3/28/2013: The offending facebook post mentioned below has been removed – We appreciate that the person understood the concern of Siren the originator of the art.  Pls read her appreciation and request -

Thank you to all who helped with the matter of my art that was stolen and my name replaced with someone else’s. The post has now been removed.
I appreciate all your support so very much.

Please if anyone comes across artwork being presented as someone’s work when you know it to be someone else’s, notify the artist immediately. Art is a bearing of a person’s soul. Theft of this nature is a violation of the most personal kind. Thank you again to everyone ♥ Siren lovesmj

Artwork by Siren Interview by SGAA-

With permission from Stop Global Airwave Abuse we reprint an intervew with Siren- Please see important notice by artist at end of interview.

I would like to introduce everyone to Siren whose Michael inspired artwork is truly awe-inspiring. She is an exceptional human being who donates her time and effort to Michael and everything he stood for and I would like thank her for taking this time to answer some questions about her amazing Michael Jackson pieces and the amount of time she spends doing so many wonderful things to support his legacy, she is a paragon of love and one can see and feel that her talents exude all things Michael in every aspect.

SGAA: Siren, I have followed your beautiful artwork of Michael for some time now, and the essence, or shall I say the aura of Michael is in every piece you do, how did you begin drawing Michael and how are you able to achieve this inner peace he has in your drawings?

Siren: Thank you for your interest and for inviting me to do this interview. I appreciate it so much.

I have been a sketch artist my whole life. I became aware of my ability at a very young age… maybe 7 or 8 years old. My family encouraged me to do more with my art, but I had no passion for it… only sketching sporadically as the mood struck me… and not at all as I got older and got busy with life. Shortly after Michael passed, I tried sketching him a few times but they were really not good. Portraits were never my strength. It would be another two years (September 2011) before I would attempt to draw him again, but when I did it was almost like something took me over… I really had very little to do with it. He just came to life before me on the paper. After that I couldn’t get enough. I guess I discovered my passion…

How am I able to achieve Michael’s inner peace in my drawings? First of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart for that amazing compliment. For me personally, the greatest satisfaction in sharing my art is when someone tells me how it makes them FEEL. If there is any way in the world that my art can connect people with Michael’s energy, his Love… well, I couldn’t ask for any greater reward.

I think Michael said it best when he said: “I believe that all art has as it’s ultimate goal, the union between the material and the spiritual… the human and the divine”.

When one creates – not just visual art but any of the arts; dance, poetry, music, any way in which the soul expresses itself – it really is like a channeling of sorts. In order to capture emotion… the spirit of something… one must connect with it. If one opens themselves to the energy of what they are expressing, it will come through. You just have to surrender to it. Anyone can do it. I really believe that.

SGAA: When did you start drawing and/or painting?

Siren: Well as I mentioned, I began drawing as a child but I never really was the type to venture outside my comfort zone, so I stayed faithful to my pencil until about 5 months ago when I began to experiment with paint. I took about 4 classes in acrylic painting and learned some basics, which I really enjoyed. I work with acrylic and watercolors a fair bit now. It has opened a whole new world for me.

SGAA: How do you choose the work or does it choose you? Meaning the pictures of Michael, do you select them intentionally or do you just see a pose or a photo of MJ that draws you to it at the time?

Siren: Oh it’s definitely impulsive. I rarely sit down with the intent to draw. The images find me, usually when I am catching up with things online. They jump out at me… the beauty of their lines, and the emotion in them… they captivate me. I can’t say no. It makes it hard to get other things done sometimes. You basically have to drop everything and just let the moment have it’s way with you.

SGAA: You show us progress of each of your pieces of work, is that cathartic for you and does it make it easier to complete the work by sharing it step by step?

Siren: Yes, I usually take progress photos as I work. I find that I get so involved with the feeling of the piece, that it is sometimes hard for me to actually see what I am creating. Taking a photo helps to separate me from it for a moment so I can view it with a more critical eye. Sometimes I find the progress photos just as beautiful as the finished works, so I often will share them. Seeing artwork in a simpler form seems to reveal something pure about it. I feel like it offers the viewer an opportunity to see it in a whole different light.

SGAA: I totally agree with you. I have seen some of your work at the beginning stages and they are so lovely. I wanted to ask you why you have been drawn (excuse the pun) to paint Michael?

Siren: Michael was a remarkable human being and remains, in my opinion, the most influential, impeccable role model of all time. If one is looking for an example of how to live a life of selflessness, compassion, strength, integrity, authenticity, responsibility, generosity, perseverance, passion, and brilliance, one needs to look no further than Michael Joseph Jackson. It’s unfortunate that most people missed the genuinely beautiful person that Michael was, and all He did to impact humanity and our planet.

Personally, I see Michael as a modern-day prophet with a message of Universal Love which he carried to us in his music, dance, poetry, and in the way he lived his life. He is a phenomenal example of what the human spirit is capable of. There isn’t any situation that confronts me that I don’t consider what I have learned from him. He inspires everything I do. He has literally transformed me by his example… and continues to. So why do I focus my art on Michael Jackson? True art is an expression of the soul. I don’t really choose what I create… I just allow whatever is inside me to come out. So far it’s all Michael…

SGAA: I know that everything that you draw or paint are all on behalf of Michael and in his name. A portion and sometimes all the earnings you make on the sale of your pieces go to specific charities. We all know that a lot of people use Michael’s name for untoward causes yet you are giving your time and talent to causes you believe. What made you decide to do this rather than make a revenue for yourself personally?

Siren: What I have, he has given me. It’s the least I can do. As I said, he has literally transformed me. How one could witness someone like Michael and not be profoundly affected seems impossible. Michael genuinely loved humanity. He dedicated his entire life towards helping and healing others. There is so much beauty in that. I want to be that Love that he demonstrated. Michael believed our salvation lies in the hearts of our children… and I agree. Most of the charities I give to are orphanages and children’s hospitals. I think if we can teach our children that they matter, that they are Loved, and that Love expands beyond our own families to include all of mankind, then we really are only one generation away from achieving world peace. I want to contribute in any way I can to help heal our planet, but I also want to help preserve Michael’s legacy. They say actions speak louder than words. So many are so closed to hearing the truth about Michael… but what if someone’s heart could be opened to him by witnessing the work others do in his memory? I want to be a part of that in whatever way possible.

SGAA: Siren, one thing that I love that you did, is plant a tree for Michael near your home and decorate it with each season that passes with some beautiful ornaments and candles, etc. I love this idea and am planning to do it myself, what was your thought behind this?

Siren: Oh, I hope you do… I think there should be a tree for Michael in every city in the world! The idea of planting the tree came from my dear friend Brenda Jenkyns. We had returned home from a trip of visiting Michael’s places in California and began talking about how we wished we had somewhere in our own city where Michael was remembered. We decided that if there was going to be one, then we would have to create it, so we did some research and discovered that our city parks department has a “Tribute Tree” program where you can purchase a tree in memory of a loved one and have it planted in one of our public parks. We also had a plaque made which the city installed for us under Michael’s tree with his name and his quote “Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly Love from the soul and know Love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all Creation”. We did a little ceremony when the plaque was placed and we were even able to bury some special items for Michael underneath it. It was really intimate and beautiful. That little tree means a lot to us. We love to think of people passing by reading Michael’s name and his message… it’s important to us.   

SGAA: Brenda Jenkyns – is that the author of the beautiful children’s book Ever After?

Siren: Yes, Brenda is the author of two children’s books about Michael. Her first book, Ever After, is the story of Michael’s life which is intended to inspire children to follow their dreams. Brenda has recently released her second book entitled Forever Loved, which is a beautiful story about Michael’s purpose and continued impact on the world since his passing.

SGAA: I have ordered a few pieces from you Siren and in my orders I always receive some “Love cards” and each one of them has a picture of your many paintings and a quote of Michael’s, why do you send these out with every order at no charge?

Siren: Those cards are one way in which I attempt to help contribute to Michael’s legacy and share his truth. They are intended to be left in places for others to find in hopes that they will read Michael’s message and want to learn more. If even one person found one of my cards and were changed by Michael’s words it would be worthwhile. Whether His message triggers something in them that inspires them to make a positive change in their life, or opens them to the idea of Universal Love, or even if it just makes them reconsider who they think Michael Jackson was… imagine the impact of that! I love to think about the ripples that would result. It drives me to do more.

SGAA: You have your artwork of Michael but there are many other things that you do in Michael’s name, could you name a few?

Siren: That’s a hard question for me to answer. I don’t like to talk about the specifics of what I do, really. I think giving should be a humbling experience, free of any self-serving motivators. What I will say is that no matter how we choose to give back to the world, the most important and most powerful thing we can offer is Love. It is my ultimate goal to be mindful of Love in all my interactions with others and in everything I do… and that motivation comes from Michael. I really feel that is the most imperative way in which I can honor and preserve his memory, and how I can best contribute to making the world a better place.

SGAA: I recently purchased Craig J. Baxter’s book Behind the Mask: What Michael Jackson’s Body Language Told The World and I know that beautiful cover was done by none other than yourself. How does it feel to have a piece of your own as the cover of a bestselling book?

Siren: I am really grateful to Craig for allowing me to be a part of his book. It is so important to me that Michael’s truth be told. To be given the opportunity to contribute to that is a great honor. I really commend Craig for helping to educate people about the kind of human being Michael was, and for sharing his expertise to expose the facts and enlighten a public who have been intentionally mislead for decades. I appreciate him immensely. Craig is a wonderful person.

SGAA: Yes he is and I am glad you got that opportunity to have that beautiful piece of art on the cover. I would like to thank you so much Siren you are a true inspiration and you honor Michael’s legacy with every piece you paint/draw as well as every deed you do in his name. God bless you!

Siren: Thank you again for allowing me to share what Michael means to me, and how he has inspired, and continues to inspire my life in so many ways. Much Love and many Blessings xxx

You can purchase Siren’s artwork on her website

See Siren’s work on her Facebook page

Please Note: 100% of Siren’s proceeds from her print sales and 25% of her commissioned works are donated to charities in Michael’s name.

Siren has many beautiful pieces but I would like to add my personal favourite by Siren to this post. It is called “Angel of Mercy” and you can purchase this and many others on her website. I urge everyone to take a look at her work and I know you will be as impressed and inspired as I am.

NOTICE: Siren Lovesmj (see note above)

Attention friends… this facebook user has taken my art and removed my watermark and put his own name on it. I would appreciate if you could all help me by reporting his post to Facebook. If the post is not removed, I will be filing copyright infringement. Thanks so much for your help! ♥

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=569369409764600&set=a.101560473212165.3665.100000746395167&type=1&theater

This is the artwork that has been misappropriated- 

Interviewer 1: More than two years after Michael Jackson’s death and after a 23 day trial, a Los Angeles jury convicted Dr. Conrad Murray of Involuntary Manslaughter last night. It took the jury of 7 men and 5 women, nine hours to reach the verdict and with us this morning to discuss the result of Michael Jackson’s trial is close friend of the singer and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Patrick Treacy.

Interviewer 2: And on the line from London is showbiz reporter Paul Martin (Irish Daily Mirror) but before we discuss the verdict in detail let’s take a look at the moment when the jury announced their verdict.

(Video of court reading the guilty verdict to Conrad Murray)

Int. 2: Paul Martin, we are joined on the line by him now, Paul we heard the shriek of joy there from LaToya and we saw the fans outside with their reaction. They feel that somehow justice has been found for Michael and he has been vindicated somehow.

Paul Martin: I think yeah, you’ve hit the nail on the head there. The fans feel a big sense of justice from this, of course nothing will ever bring Michael Jackson back to them or his family, but certainly I think the feeling has been since the day Michael Jackson died, only a week before his big comeback 50 concerts in London, I think the feeling has been that somebody had to pay the price for essentially a healthy 50 year old man meeting a very untimely and unseemly end. I think for the fans there is an element of closure here, although in my mind there is still a number of people who should be brought to justice over this but of course, it will never happen.

Int 2: So Paul, do you think that Murray was a bit of a scapegoat?

PM: I don’t think he was a scapegoat. I watched every night of this trial not just viewing it as a Michael Jackson fan but from a whole show business spectacle but I have to say in all the nights that I watched it I didn’t see one day, even one hour, that really went in Conrad Murray’s favor. He was acting completely outside the boundaries of the medical profession and he broke so many rules on so many levels and I think the thing that really bothered me and so many of the Michael Jackson fans was when Michael Jackson needed him most which was actually in cardiac arrest to not ring 911 for over half an hour is absolutely abhorrent and unreal and I think for that and that alone he deserves the sentence he has received and I think he needs to pay the price. I do think we need to be realistic about this and see the whole picture. There were pushing Michael Jackson very very hard at the time. There were people happily paying and hiring Conrad Murray for Michael Jackson for their own selfish interest i.e. to get him through these concerts in London and I think those people have a lot to answer for but they won’t answer for these actions in the courtroom like Conrad Murray did.

Int 2: What does this mean Paul for his legacy and his family, what happens now?

PM: I think for his legacy … look there’s another Michael Jackson album out in another couple of weeks. There are a lot of people making money out of Michael Jackson’s death. I think his legacy is the greatest entertainer of all time and has been really since the day he died. I think Michael Jackson has had a massive career peak in death. What I do think is that it shows that Michael Jackson was excited about the comeback, he did feel he could go through with the tour, he did want to make the comeback it wasn’t motivated by financial problems so I think it showed that fans and people that may have been a bit skeptical about Michael that actually, he was mentally in a reasonably good place coming up to the performances before he died.

Int 2: Paul thank you for joining us on the show this morning.

Int 1: We are also joined by Dr. Patrick Treacy. Patrick I just want to establish your credentials in regards to this because we know you were a friend of his as well but you were also his physician in Ireland?

Paul Treacy: That’s right.

Int 1: And you were on the list of witnesses…. a supplementary list of witnesses to be called for this trial although that didn’t happen. When you were first approached to be his physician, I’m assuming you would have looked at a medical file, or you would have given him a check up to see what state he was in so how was he physically as far as you were concerned as his doctor?

PT: That’s a very interesting question because I suppose there is a fine line where you can cross into what you are treating your patient for and certainly in terms of confidentiality I have always stood by this but it is out there that Michael had Vitiligo and it is out there he had scarring on his head, it’s out there that he had lupus so I wouldn’t want to break any confidentiality regarding this or the treatment but this is actually in the public domain that’s in the public interest….

Int 1: These were actually cosmetic things in one sense Patrick.

PT: Sure but I see this from both a dermatology point of view and rebuilding his face the same as Arnold Klein was and myself and Arnold communicated with each other to see what was best for him but even in terms when I met Michael first. Michael was quite shy and in fact would be back in the surgery reading through books and I remember one time him opening up one of the dermatology texts I have which is about 300 – 400 pages long and he came along a picture of a black african child with vitiligo and he turned around and said to me “nobody can understand the pain and the mental anguish that child is going through” and thats before he even showed me himself. His body was both black and white you know and even though his face was white was a consequence of some sort of depigmentation creams but I would have known long before a lot of people that he suffered from this condition and it was horrendous to think that people in the media particularly, were making it seem like he wanted to change his race or color.
Int 1: What are the issues with the … one of the things that has gone through the court case was that he suffered from very severe insomnia, now were you aware of that when you were taking care of him?

PT: I was never aware of that and I certainly would have known Michael here for seven months before he went back to the United States and I never wrote him a script for a sleeping tablet in my life.

Int 1: Because one of the things…. if you’ve seen TII, he’s painfully thin in this but he certainly didn’t seem to be suffering from any deficiency in energy and if you were going through that kind of rigorous rehearsal schedule, you would want your wits and your fitness and your stamina about you so the idea that he would be not getting proper sleep, not getting proper rest and still being able to do that doesn’t kind of gel.

PT: It doesn’t really and I think something happened between the time he left Ireland and the time he went under the care of Conrad Murray because certainly during the period that Michael was in Ireland, I had never seen him with any drugs, I never wrote any prescriptions for any drugs for him.

Int 1: When you saw those photographs of the list, the array of drugs that were in his house, I mean were you personally and professionally horrified by that?

PT: Absolutely. I was in Michael’s house and at no time did I ever see any drugs anywhere and the way he interacted with his children and everything you would know there was no dependency problem at least at that stage anyway. I mean I’m not naive to think, and I’ve given an interview in New York some time ago, before the trial, that something else may have happened to him or someone could have taken over his care and given him certain things, but certainly during the period of time …..

Int 2: Did he ever mention Propofol when he was under your care?

PT: I suppose I’m on record for saying this, on at least two occasions during procedures we also gave him Propofol but only with the presence of an Anesthetist there and he absolutely always demanded that.

Int 2: He specifically requested the Propofol?

PT: No, no, but he did recognize it. It’s a very common sedative during procedures .

Int 1: But administered in a hospital theatre situation.

PT: Absolutely. With an Anesthetist, someone who is able to reverse apnea if it occurs, but I have seen on one occasion before he was meeting the Queen in Casino Royale and he was very uptight about meeting the Queen and this was bothering him quite a lot and during the same time as the World Music Awards in November 14, 15th 2006 and before that period he was very uptight and he wanted a certain procedure done that I was willing to do but I couldn’t get an Anesthetist at that time to do it. I myself could have given him Medazolam (inaudible) and it was a procedure that we had done many time but he wouldn’t even do that without an Anesthetist being present and a as a consequence of the procedure I must say it did hurt him and he was willing to take the pain rather than do it in the absence of an Anesthetist so to go from that situation to see someone who was using gallons of propofol just to get to sleep, to me it was bazaar. I must say I was shocked.

Int 1: A complete abdication of Conrad Murray’s professional responsibilities.

PT: Absolutely. I think really reckless behavior from the point of view of using a drug like Propofol/Diprivan outside a hospital, to not monitor the patient, to even have a little pulse oximeter, which I believe was in another room, with no IV apparatus set up and no control of the drug and EVEN it was appalling to see the IV bag cut open and a hole in the Propofol bottle and it just stuck into a drip. I mean the sterility factor alone is horrendous

Int 2: So what is your take on Conrad Murray, was he just a cowboy to make as much money out of Michael as he could or was he someone that just got lost in the whole hoopla of a star demanding what he needed to make him sleep?

PT: I think it is probably a mixture of both you know and I don’t mind going on the record for that. I would think that certainly as DA Walgren said he became an employee rather than a doctor and somewhere along the way he did lose his professional integrity and probably possibly even done what Michael Jackson requested of him to do. Now there is a sub plot running through all this that verges on the one side of a conspiracy theory and obviously on the other side a lot of people would benefit from the fact that Michael Jackson would have died, we are well aware of that. There is also a lot of people that would benefit from the fact that if Conrad Murray was not found guilty, there is a lot of insurance payouts by Sony/AEG and we’re not naive for a moment to believe that if Michael Jackson was seen to be compliant in his own death or if he commits suicide then certain insurance payouts would be a different way. I would be party to a little bit of knowledge regarding that so I don’t want to say anything at this point in time…

Int 1: You don’t think for one second that Michael Jackson was suicidal?

PT: Not at all, not for one second, not at all. I mean he loved his kids and he would have no reason but who pays who would certainly be totally different if it was assumed he had committed suicide.

Int 2: So you don’t believe for one minute that he administered that Propofol himself?

PT: No. I was on a program in New York on the Discovery Channel where I proved he couldn’t do it but the Judge had banned the jurors from seeing that. The way the Propofol works is very interesting, Propofol has no antidote, where as something like Medazolam or Lorazepam do have an antidote so why is it popular? If I was to lay ten patients wall to wall and given them a shot of Propofol and walk down the ward, by the time I reached the bottom, the first ones would be waking up, it only lasts about four minutes and thats why Anesthetists all over the world totally like it. Now the thing is if you want to have someone put to sleep on it you have to run an induction maintenance dose.

Int 2: I have to be rude and cut you off, but finally you knew him and you cared for him, he was a friend of yours so this is ultimately a tragedy at the end of the day?

PT: Absolutely a tragedy and I think the guilty verdict was the right one in this instance and as I’ve seen some of the fans last night with signs “Guilty as Undercharged” and probably that’s the way we should leave it.

Int 1: Thank you very much.

Source:

http://tv3.ie/3player/show/184/42082/1/Ireland-AM

How Vitiligo and Michael Taught Me Compassion

I am a 52 year old white woman, and when I say white, I mean white like new fallen snow! I have Vitiligo. Vitiligo is a disease that can compromise your immune system and distort your whole appearance.

The summer before I was getting ready for college, I noticed some strange looking chalky patches that suddenly appeared on my hands. I was an olive skinned girl who never worried about sunburn and who tanned every summer to a golden mocha. Of course in those days of the early seventies we were slathering ourselves with baby oil never giving a thought to sunscreen. It never occurred to me to worry about my skin or the sun or my appearance beyond the occasional pimple and getting the latest fad in fashion and makeup.

I thought the spots were from the French fry grease at the fast food restaurant where I worked that summer to save up money for college. I was sure they were small burns from the fryer and would go away when the burns healed. But at college that fall, I noticed the spots not only had not disappeared, but had grown larger while new ones were forming on my elbows. I knew then that they could no longer be ignored.

I had never even heard of the word: “Vitiligo” but after my doctor visit, I soon became intimate with it as it became a huge feature in my world. An autoimmune disorder, I learned that Vitiligo can be genetically passed down in families but not always. My family has no history of Vitiligo. And it was autoimmune- what a heart-stopping betrayal! Everybody wants to be “comfortable in their own skin” but my own skin was damaging itself and damaging me! How can your own skin turn on you?

I began to read everything I could find on the disease. Vitiligo is an antibody that is in your genes when you are born and for some reason it gets stimulated to start destroying your melanoctyes which are the cells in your skin and hair that produce melanin. Melanin is what gives your skin pigment or color. There is lots of research being explored to discover what triggers Vitiligo and what determines how fast it spreads. It may be environmental factors, stress, physical factors like hormones and blood loss or most likely a combination of all of these. The medical community has established that the antibodies in Vitiligo completely destroy the melanocyte.

That means that my body sees my own cells as something foreign that needs to be attacked, destroyed and removed! There are some treatments that may help restore pigment in some cases but those treatments are not a cure. As of now, there is no cure. The treatments are very time consuming and involve taking a drug that can cause liver damage. I tried a few of these therapies early on when my white spots were not so widespread, but it was not very successful. I decided that I would rather have white spots which were not painful or really hurting me in any way, (other than sunburn, and strange glances and remarks from people) than risk damaging my liver and turning yellow from the resulting jaundice! Did I want to turn white or turn yellow? Were those my only choices? Nursing was my college major and that influenced my decision to forego the drugs because I understood, medically, the reality of the side effects. I later tried the depigmentation therapy on my face to bleach out the remaining dark areas but it did not work very well for me. It affects everyone differently and it takes a lot of diligence and repeated treatments.

The National Vitiligo Foundation (NVF) is a lifesaving resource for people afflicted with this disease. They spearhead the research and search for a cure while providing education and resources for sufferers of this disease. Vitiligo is in the same category as other autoimmune disorders like Lupus, Reynaud’s, Diabetes, and some Thyroid disorders. Most people who acquire an autoimmune disorder develop more than one. I recently discovered that my Thyroid is also involved and I have mild Reynaud’s which is a disorder that affects the circulation in extremities like hands and feet. It makes one’s fingers and toes cold and discolored from poor circulation.

I learned at an NVF conference I attended that because melanocytes are completely destroyed by Vitiligo, there is zero chance of getting Melanoma in the areas that are white. Researchers are looking at a possible treatment for Melanoma using antibodies taken from the blood of people with Vitiligo. The thought is that maybe those melanoctye-destroying antibodies might provide a treatment or cure for cancer is a thought I like to hang onto because it would mean that something good could come out of this disorder.

There are emotional valleys for the person adjusting to the diagnosis of Vitiligo. Over time Vitiligo spreads and is not easy to hide in those stages. My face, hands, arms, and legs became covered with white patches and were a source of embarrassment for me. But the day came when I decided that I was not going to wear long sleeves and pants for the rest of my life! I did need to protect my skin however, because the depigmented skin has no protection from the sun. I found out the hard way how badly burned one can get from the sun if not extra careful. I sometimes think I alone keep the sunscreen industry in business. There are days I wish for a vat to dip myself into to decrease the time it takes to apply sunscreen and protect my skin because it’s necessary if I am going to continue the outdoor activities I love and enjoy. The evening is a better time for me to do things when the sun is not so intense and I forego things scheduled for daytime when the sun is bright. It does require lifestyle adjustments.

I often think how fortunate I was that I didn’t have to deal with this during my junior high and high school years. Being a teenager dealing with all of the hormonal changes, peer pressure and confusion is tough enough without harsh comments about one’s strange and changing appearance. I am sure I would have had to endure cutting remarks regarding my strange appearance. I did need to learn to deal with people staring and making comments especially during the summer months when my pigmented skin was darker in color and I was more exposed wearing summer clothes. I have heard some very bizarre, sometimes funny and occasionally hurtful comments.

I don’t think people intend to be mean but are surprised by someone’s (mine) appearance and don’t think before they speak. I imagine that I did look odd with white spots all over my skin. Children wanted to know if I was “like a leopard” or was I “part zebra?” Adults thought I had been burned and would ask “is it painful” or “is it contagious?” I think I actually liked it better when someone would actually speak to me about their curiosity and ask questions rather than just staring or worse yet snickering or whispering to their friends. Explanations had to be necessarily lengthy and that took up my time when I might have preferred to spend it in some other way.

I will never forget one of the saddest encounters I can remember with a woman who was from India who stopped me one day in a parking lot:

“I noticed the patches on your skin. Do you have Vitiligo?”

“Yes, I do. Are you familiar with it?”

“Yes. My sister who lives in India will never be able to marry because she has Vitiligo. There is a taboo surrounding it in that culture and no man would consider marrying a woman with the disease and whose appearance is marred and undesirable. When it comes to women, India places a lot of emphasis on beauty.”

I could not fathom that attitude nor imagine it to be true. I thought about how lucky I was to have met a man who looked at me and loved me without seeing a “spotted person” but saw a human being. Actually, he was more offended by people staring and snickering at me than I was. I was once stopped in a store by a woman who wanted to know how I had gotten such a bad case of poison ivy. I was baffled by that one until she added that she couldn’t believe how much calamine lotion I had on!

There was one incident where I noticed a lady staring at me which happened all the time, but this time she began following me in the grocery store and when it got a little creepy I turned to face her. She remarked that I “must be an amazing volleyball player to have so many brush burns on my knees and elbows from diving for balls.” I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn’t burst out laughing! I always feel bad for most of the people who make comments because they are so embarrassed when I tell them the facts. The most hurtful encounters are with people who don’t take the time to stop and ask but just stare, point or even laugh. There were times I would actually forget that I did look “odd” until I noticed someone staring or pointing and that would launch me right back into feeling self-conscious and awkward.

I realized too, that I was fortunate to be a white person with Vitiligo. I met several black people with Vitiligo at the NVF conferences I attended and learned how much more devastating it is for them. I was a white person who was turning whiter. They were black people who were becoming white. Not only did they have to deal with the physical changes, but they had to deal with feeling a loss of their race and identity. I cannot speak to this but I can certainly empathize with how much more difficult that must be to lose your ethnic roots, identity or race and to not only question your own identity, but have all that questioned by others.

The Famous Face of Vitilgo

That brings me to the most famous person to have Vitiligo: Michael Jackson. I was a big Michael fan from his early days with the Jackson Five and all through his solo career. He and I were the same age so I grew up on his music and dancing. I remember hearing for the first time the rumors that he was bleaching himself white; I thought that was crazy. I knew personally how difficult it was to try to use depigmentation as a treatment for Vitiligo so I couldn’t imagine how someone could actually bleach their entire body. I asked my dermatologist at one of my yearly visits in the late eighties if she knew anything about Michael Jackson’s skin color and she told me that it was known by most in the dermatology community that he had Vitiligo.

At first I was excited to think that I shared something in common with Michael Jackson. Then as the reality set in, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how horrible it must have been for him. Not only was he a black man, he was probably the most well known person in the world and someone who performed in front of millions of people. It was easy for me to just ignore the stares and go on with my life but how do you do that when you are in the spotlight all the time and subjected to ridicule and tabloid trash talk? I can understand why he tried to cover his Vitiligo up the best he could with makeup and clothes. Michael was known to be a very private person who didn’t want to divulge his medical condition to the world. I have a feeling he may not have received a lot of support from those around him, his professional contacts, and certainly not from the media. And when he did admit to having Vitiligo, so many hateful people in the media refused to believe it using ridicule and writing he “claims to have a skin condition.” Claims to? They accused him of trying to bleach his skin and become a white person. They called him a traitor to his race thinking he had betrayed the African American community of his roots. Who would chose a disease that betrays your own body, challenges your very identity and continually changes your appearance requiring medical treatment and makeup? How does someone who makes their living with their famous face and who faces a debilitating disease deal with that kind of ridicule and mocking from the press?

There were those in both the black and the white communities who turned against him simply because of his changing appearance. Hurtful words can be more painful than a physical attack. Michael endured far too many hateful, hurtful words. Many in the “media” claim that even with Vitiligo Michael would not have naturally turned so completely white. Well, I can verify that it is very possible. My Vitiligo started with me being mostly tan colored with white patches and spots, and gradually progressed to my appearing mostly white with tan spots to now being almost completely white except for a very few tiny tan spots.

Not only is a morphing appearance unavoidable with Vitiligo, but it is inevitable. Now that the antibodies have finished with my skin, they are starting on my hair. I have huge white patches in my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. It is a cruel joke that the hair on my legs remains as dark as ever which looks even worse against the stark white skin! I can’t throw out that razor yet. And I now get stares and lots of questions about my hair.

Most people actually think I just have beautiful white skin now. I am sure Michael could have experienced a similar evolution of his appearance. He reportedly used the depigmentation therapy to help even out his skin color so he would not have to wear so much makeup. It is all so easy to understand if people were only not so quick to make hateful judgments or believe everything the tabloid media spews about celebrities.

I wish I could have understood better what Michael Jackson went through while he was still with us. I regret not letting Michael know in some way that I understood at least in part what he went through dealing with this disease. I regret not speaking up more then. I have now become a major defender of Michael Jackson promising myself that I will not let hateful words stand! I think too and I sincerely hope, that I have become more accepting of people’s differences because of my own personal struggles with appearance and acceptance. I try really hard to not make judgments about people without learning more about them. Without the challenge of Vitiligo in my life, and my connection to Michael Jackson I might not have that understanding; I might be a different person. Vitiligo and Michael Jackson taught me about compassion.

- See more at: http://voicesinwartime.org/category/tag/case-study#sthash.yMLIPP9m.dpufThe Famous Face of Vitilgo

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“As far as music of all genres is concerned, Michael Jackson and Bob Marley remain the best artists who have ever lived. The shoes of these two great music icons will hardly ever be worn by any artist of this generation and beyond.”   Aloysius Agendia

Clinark Dill honors Michael Jackson in the style of another amazing legend: Bob Marley –   Join – Facebook Event February 26th : Release of  Music Video They Don’t Really Care About Us

Solo artist Clinark, launched his  album “TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON A LEGEND AND A WARRIOR” on 28th November 2010 . It is available in mp3 on iTunes and CD Formats. from CD Baby.com and Clinark.com. Many of the songs on this 18 track album reflect Clinark’s Reggae influences as well as R&B. Some of the songs are acoustic tracks. Jackson’s classic “I’ll Be There” is already a favoured track amongst Clinark’s fans which features Adele Harley 

Favoured tracks that reflect Clinark’s vocal talent are “Heal the World”, the classic song, “We’re Almost There,” is given a new Reggae twist. Tracks “Lady In My Life” and “You Were There” are presented in an acoustic style.

Clinark says, “I am totally honoured by the support I have received on this work. The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson were a major musical influence and inspiration to me as I grew up. Later, my influences were the late Reggae legend Bob Marley, and UK Reggae band, Aswad amongst others.”

Read full press release.

“Another great satisfaction was doing my most recent album, “A Tribute to Michael Jackson: A Legend and a Warrior”, ‘cause Michael and the Jackson Five were a major influence on me even before reggae, ever since I can remember. So when I did “I’ll Be There” in May 2009 and received positive feedback, it was awesome. Of course, he sadly passed away on June 25, 2009. I released it as a tribute to his great musical legacy, which was well received. It was a real honour to do it.”  March 21, 2011 Bermudian:

For more information please watch The Making of Tribute to Michael Jackson

Follow Clinarke Dill at Twitter: @Clinark

Facebook: ClinarkeDill  Youtube: Nurture Channel 

Sources:

http://www.thebermudian.com/bermudian-blog/reggae-artist-clinark-dill.html

June 21, 2009 http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200906/1245623855.html

June 28, 2009  http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200906/1246221756.html

August 2, 2009 http://www.free-press-release.com/news-clinark-the-reggae-torch-releases-cover-of-jackson-5-classic-i-ll-be-there-1249265002.html

October 3, 2009  http://www.free-press-release.com/news-clinark-the-reggae-torch-smiles-again-with-a-new-pre-release-1254618677.html

June 25, 2010 http://www.free-press-release.com/news-reggae-singer-clinark-goes-r-b-for-michael-jackson-1277510852.html

http://www.postnewsline.com/2009/06/michael-jackson-and-bob-marley-forever-what-lessons-for-us.html?cid=6a00d8341c824e53ef014e8927eaf0970d

http://www.amazon.com/Tribute-Michael-Jackson-Legend-Warrior/dp/B004CTJB28