I've been thinking for a while now how and what I would write about Michael Jackson that would convince people that he was a leader in the sustainability movement.
OK, this is not crazy talk. Remember that sustainability is not just about driving less, using non-toxic soap and bringing your own bag to the grocery store. It is equally about community, social responsibility, social equity and social justice.
Right now, millions of people around the world are watching and listening to Jackson's memorial service from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Millions of people with one thing in common, from Europe and Asia and Africa and Kansas and New York City and Seattle, me on my couch.
What are they celebrating? His great music, for sure. But there was a lot more and Rev. Al Sharpton gave the best speech of the afternoon. If you think all this MJ business is a bunch of media hoopla, and you only watch one thing from the insane news coverage of this topic today, make it this one.
Jackson's life went from the beginning of the civil rights movement through the first black president, and Sharpton makes the point that many of the children who saw Jackson break the race barriers in music grew up to be adults who helped break the political barrier and elect the first black president of the United States of America.
I don't think it's stupid to be upset by Jackson's death. It doesn't mean you don't care about Iran, national healthcare or the City of Los Angeles spending $2-4mm to pay for the memorial service. But it would be a community moment bigger than the sum of its parts if everyone mourning the King of Pop could see beyond the celebrity to the major social changes he effected, and perhaps the global awareness of interconnectedness that we're all having right now.
When I first hear that Jackson died and saw the outpouring of global grief, I tweeted that I wish we could move this many people around the world together to solve some of our greatest international challenges. What I didn't realize then is that Jackson already had.
RIP MJ. My pop culture heart and sustainable soul know that your legacy will help Heal the World long after you're gone.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
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