Born in 1958 in the steel-mill city of Gary, Indiana, Michael’s life and career paralleled generations of social and economic change. In 1967, just one year before the Jackson Five burst on the scene as Motown’s newest sensation, Richard Hatcher was elected Mayor of Gary, becoming one of the first African American mayors in the country.
One of the most interesting things about Michael Jackson is that even though he died at the young age of 50, so many of us seemed to have grown up listening to his music and trying to copy his dance moves.
Michael and his brothers first captured the nation’s attention in 1968, the year of Martin Luther King’s assassination. Their jubilant music brought people of different races together, some for the first time, at a moment when the forces of discord seemed intent on tearing us apart.
Much of the proceeds of his records and tours were donated to charities devoted to African relief, college scholarships and HIV/AIDS. In 1992, he founded the Heal the World Foundation to relieve the suffering of children around the world.
His “Dangerous World Tour” that year gave him the opportunity, in his own words, to “visit children around the world, as well as spread the message of global love, in the hope that others will be moved to do their share to help heal the world.” In 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records cited Michael Jackson for holding the world record for the “Most Charities Supported by a Pop Star.”
songs like “We are the World,” and “Man in the Mirror,” Michael spoke to the hearts of people and made powerful statements about the need for greater unity, compassion and peace in the world.
