Many celebrities and important historical people have passed away in the last few months. Some are better known than others, but that doesn’t make the others any less significant. Most have heard that Ed McMahon, David Carradine, Farah Fawcett, and of Course everyone know about Michael Jackson. Other celeberties that have passed away that you may not recognize are Karl Malden, Harve Presnell, Fred Travalene, and Gail Storm just to name a few. However not one of them got the media play that Michael Jackson did. Why?, because someone deemed Michael the “King of Pop”. Now I don’t mean any disrespect of Michael Jackson or his family. My condolences go out to his family and friends. However, I don’t think he warranted all the pomp and circumstance he was given.
I had a friend on my facebook post something that made me think about what our society views important. I said earlier that some important historical people had passed away in the last few months (the last two to be exact). My friend posted the following people that have passed away in June and July, do you recognize any of them? Did you even hear about their deaths? I did not hear of any of them passing away. Here they are and what they are noted for:
*Alec Gallup-Chairman of the Gallup Poll; *Roger Terry - member of the Tuskegee Airman; *Huey Long - singer with The Ink Spots; *Tomoji Tnanabe - Japanese centenarian-world's oldest living man; *Jerri Nielsen-physician -treated herself for breast cancer, Antarctica 1999; *E.J. Josey - civil right activist & 1st black librarian member of GA Library Assoc.
In this list I see at least one (although all deserved this) man that should have gotten more media coverage. Roger E.J Josey. E.J Josey in the early 1960s, participated in the Civil Rights struggle in Savannah (see The Black Librarian in America, pp. 308-11). He served on the Executive Board of the Savannah Branch of the NAACP as well as the Executive Board of the Albany, NY Branch of the NAACP.
In 1964 he carried the Civil Rights struggle into the American Library Association. In spite of the 1954 United States Supreme Court decision, which encouraged desegregation of libraries and ALA chapters, the ALA was slow in implementing integration of all of its southern chapters until Josey offered his resolution at the 1964 Conference which prevented ALA officers and staff members from attending segregated state chapter meetings. The four remaining segregated chapters that denied membership to African American librarians at that time were Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi; and they integrated immediately. He is well known for his uncompromising opposition to any form of discrimination whether it is racial, gender, age or sexual orientation. In my opinion if it was not for men like Mr. Josey Michael Jackson would not have been afforded the opportunities that he did have.
Again I don’t want this to sound like I am bashing Michael Jackson. I don’t mean to in anyway. There are just something’s that have bothered me about him. I know the courts have declared him not guilty of any of the charges that were brought up against him. Ok, I still don’t think he is totally innocent of those charges. This strictly comes from working with abused kids and having talking with them. I am not nor have I judge him on this. That is for God to do alone. I have huge issue with how he seemed to always “show” what good things he was doing. I am just the type of person who thinks that if you are going to give money or time to a Charity it should not be made public, as to say, “Hey look at what I am doing. I’m a good person.” We don’t get to Heaven through our works here on Earth. Christ even said to the disciples in John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ, not our works here on earth.
I can only hope that Michael Jackson really did know the Lord. We need to rethink what is really important in life. We need to think and realize who really deserves full media coverage and who doesn't.
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