"It Doesn't Matter if you’re Black or White"

The entire world was shocked. CNN, Channel Five News, TMZ announced "Pop Icon Michael Jackson is dead at age 50." Mouths dropped open, many hearts skipped a beat. The world whispered, "Michael Jackson is dead." Some pretended not to be troubled, others explicitly expressed their emotions. His appeal transcended cultures -- Austrians, Asians, African Americans, White Americans, British, Spaniards, Canadians, Irish, and on and on. Almost every age, nearly every generation, fell in love with a Michael Jackson song. "Pretty Young Thing," "Thriller," "Dirty Diana," "Beat it," "Billie Jean." My favorite Michael Jackson song is "Rock Your World." Michael shared pieces of himself with the world. His constant cry about not having a childhood, his interest in animals, his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, and his desire to be a father. It takes guts to let the world see your successes, failures, breakdowns, and blemishes. Even with all of the scrutiny and accusations, he proved to the world that we can be colorless. His most memorable moment was not the moonwalk, not the eight Grammys he won for "Thriller," not the millions of albums sold worldwide, but Michael Jackson's most memorable moment was that he managed to change colors before our eyes. Michael Jackson will forever be written in black and white.