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Michael Jackson,
Race &
Cultural Identity [a thread]
![Michael Jackson,Race &Cultural Identity [a thread]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHelCKcX4AAQ2bq.jpg "Michael Jackson,Race &Cultural Identity [a thread]")
Race &
Cultural Identity [a thread]
The color of Michael Jackson’s skin has repeatedly been the subject of rumors and speculation that have been used to tarnish his image, with a single misleading notion - that he wanted to “become white”.
But did Michael Jackson really want to “become white”? This thread has the goal of proving that not only did he embrace his heritage, but also that he couldn’t have changed his race, even if he wanted to.
In order to shed light on this subject, first we need to address its underlying issue: the differences between the concepts of “race” and “ethnicity/cultural identity”.
“Race” is an old concept that dates back to ancient times, but became popular and gained a new meaning during the European colonization process in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was used to classify groups of people that allegedly shared physical and social traits.
In real life, this questionable classification system led to the segregation and oppression of groups of people that were considered “different” and inferior to the white elite. In the 19th century, with the rise of the natural sciences, scientific racism reached its peak.
A common belief in the scientific community was that the size and shape of the human skull determined whether a race was inferior or superior. In the field of anthropology, cultural evolutionism sought to prove that cultures evolved in time, from “primitive” to white european.
Franz Boas, one of the founding fathers of modern anthropology, questioned these beliefs by proving that biological factors had little to do with human behavior, and stated that the main analytical concept should be “culture”, instead of “race”.
Modern anthropology now sees “race” as an outdated concept that is, itself, a social construct, meaning it's a product of social and cultural beliefs, and not, by far, a “universal truth”. This picture sums it up perfectly. In what “race” would you categorize these children?
Outside of anthropology, in the field of genetics, the phenotypic approach (based on observable traits, i.e. appearance) to race is also highly questioned, while the genotypic approach (based on genes) has been unable to fully prove a common gene to determine a person’s race.
Regardless, “race” still prevails in society, even if with adaptations. For instance, in the US, “black” and “African-American” are both terms used to identify people born in that country that have black African ancestry. These terms are present in the US Demographic Survey.
Now let’s get back to our primary subject, Michael Jackson. A child of black parents, he was unquestionably a black man. If the current definition of "black" implies genetic african ancestry, it is impossible for him to have ever "become white", regardless of his appearance.
But in the late 80s/early 90s, as his looks changed, his critics were quick to accuse him of “bleaching” his skin and wanting to “become white”. The singer finally addressed the issue for the first time in an interview in 1993 (at 19:00)
In 1986, Michael Jackson was diagnosed with Vitiligo, an incurable skin disorder in which the body destroys its pigment cells, creating white patches that tend to get bigger with time. The patches are particularly visible on people with darker skin tone.
The news came at a terrible time for the singer. At the height of his fame and already dealing with another autoimmune disease he had been diagnosed with three years before, Lupus, there was nothing he could do to stop his whole body from being covered with white patches.
At first, he covered the patches on his face and hands with make-up, but when they became too extensive, he had to undergo a special treatment. Here is Dr. Arnold Klein, his dermatologist, confirming the diagnosis and explaining the treatment.
The depigmented skin caused by Vitiligo is also extremely vulnerable to sunlight, which explains why the singer always wore long-sleeve shirts, jackets, pants and hats in public, while also being shielded by umbrellas.
Michael Jackson’s condition was later confirmed by his autopsy report, seen below, which clearly states he had Vitiligo. If many sources confirmed his disease and he even spoke openly about it, then why do the media and his critics insist on the “going white” theory to this day?
So far we’ve covered the concept of race and how, according to the current definition of black/African-American it's impossible for Michael Jackson to have become white. It’s also been proven that the change in his skin tone was involuntary, the product of an incurable disease.
Now let’s look into the other concept: “ethnicity/cultural identity”. While "race" relies on the judgement that others make of you (external), ethnicity/CI is based on your internal perception of where you belong and with what group/culture you identify yourself with.
It’s less about physical appearance and more about shared experiences and beliefs. This concept is partly the product of the struggle of minorities around the world to be able to define themselves, instead of being defined by others. Therefore, self-identification is its core.
Did Michael Jackson identify himself as a black man, belonging to and sharing the same cultural beliefs as this community? Yes. He stated many times that he was black and was proud of his heritage. Here is him giving a speech in the early 2000s (at 5:48)
Also from the early 2000s, an interview he gave to Steve Harvey’s radio show (at 19:00)
Even though he identified himself as black, he could’ve opted to keep his beliefs private and be “neutral” in his art, like many pop stars. With all that was at stake when he had reached his level of stardom, one could even forgive him for doing that. But he didn’t.
Michael Jackson’s identification with the African-American community permeated his entire life and his personal taste in music. James Brown, Jackie Wilson and Sammy Davis Jr are among his biggest influences.
Here is Michael singing the classic “You were there”, on Sammy Davis Jr’s 60th anniversary, in 1989:
And here is him giving James Brown the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2003 BET Awards:
In his own work, this influence can be felt especially from the Dangerous album (1991) forward, prompting the American writer & Michael Jackson biographer Joe Vogel to say that “as his skin became whiter, his work became blacker.” https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/17/black-and-white-how-dangerous-kicked-off-michael-jacksons-race-paradox
Black or White, the first single out of Dangerous, has Michael singing about racial equality and cultural diversity. The B or W short film reinforces that notion by showing him interacting with people from all around the world.
The B or W short film also includes a highly symbolic segment known as the Panther Dance, where Michael screams, bashes a car with a crowbar, throws a trash can and rips his shirt, unleashing his rage, right before morphing into a black panther.
Deemed controversial for its “sexually suggestive” and aggressive scenes, the segment was later censored. But many saw its significance – it was filmed around the time of the Rodney King beating and perfectly captured the rage and the power within the oppressed.
In the Remember the Time short film, Michael broke yet another racial barrier by portraying Egyptians as black for the first time. The stellar cast - Eddie Murphy, Iman, Magic Johnson - was led by the young African-American director John Singleton.
If in Dangerous Michael Jackson referenced his ethnicity/cultural identity and cultural diversity as a whole, in his HIStory: Past, Present and Future album (1995), he took the debate to the field of racial prejudice, police brutality and injustice.
Perhaps the most politicized of his songs, They Don’t Care About Us is a protest against an establishment that continuously oppresses the minorities and the poor (“Some things in life they just don't want to see, but if Martin Luther was livin', he wouldn't let this be”).
The two short-films for TDCAU, both directed by the iconic Spike Lee, point in different directions. The prison version focuses on injustice and oppression, by showing Michael as an inmate, singing against footage of violence and police brutality.
The Brazil version focuses more on African heritage/black identity and poverty, by having Michael dance with the Olodum group in Bahia and then walking around a favela in Rio. Both cities have the biggest population of black African descent in Brazil.
These examples only cover part of the multiple symbolisms and references to his African-American heritage present in Michael Jackson’s body of work.
The singer’s humanitarian efforts greatly benefitted the African-American community. This included, among other actions, large donations to the NAACP and the United Negro College Fund, where there is still a scholarship with his name. https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59c7c8d3e4b08d661550436a
In the realm of politics, Michael Jackson used his influence to promote change. In the early 90s, a photo opportunity with South-African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela helped launch his presidential campaign and started a friendship between the two that would last for years.
Now that it is clear that not only did Michael not neglect his roots, but rather the opposite, he continually referenced and expanded them, we are left with one last question - is self-identifying as a race/ethnicity enough for a person to be deemed as belonging to it?
The answer is no. In 2015, Rachel Dolezal, an activist and president for a NAACP chapter was “outed” as being white after years of acting as if she was African-American. Later she explained she “identified as black.” https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rachel-dolezal-naacp-president-accused-of-lying-about-her-race.html
While Dolezal’s case is extreme, it leads to an important conclusion: a person can’t simply “decide” to belong to a race/ethnicity, especially if they don’t share common experiences (and often oppressions) with other people within the same group.
That's why besides genetics and self-identification, another way to “legitimate” a person’s cultural identity is for the community to recognize the individual as one of their own.
That leads to the question: does the black community in the US recognize Michael Jackson as one of their own? Here is what some people that knew and/or worked with him had to say:
Questlove speaking about the Panther Dance and Michael Jackson’s African pride (from 5:55)
Spike Lee on Michael Jackson and the black community (from 10:13)
Whitney Houston on Michael Jackson’s part in breaking barriers in MTV
Wesley Snipes speaks of Michael’s reading habits and his consciousness
Poet and activist Maya Angelou reciting the poem she wrote in honor of Michael
It should be clear at this point that whether we take into consideration the old, supposedly objective concept of race or the modern, more subjective concept of ethnicity/cultural diversity, Michael Jackson was born and died a black man.
After he repeatedly stated it, was recognized as such by his own community and spoke openly about the disease that altered his skin tone, any attempts to claim that he wanted to become white fall into the category of racism.
That is because this ‘accusation’ is based on the premise that being white is a privilege, something that everyone would aim for, while, inversely, being black is bad and people of that race/ethnicity would change it if they could.
While we’re at it, why do white artists get away with appropriating black culture and altering their appearance to mimic black people without being accused of wanting to “become black”?
There are other issues when it comes to Michael Jackson and his skin tone. One of them was often addressed by him – that white America never forgave him for breaking records and becoming more famous than their idols. He surpassed Elvis, The Beatles, and many more ‘untouchables’.
The moment that happened, some people began to not only root for his downfall, but to actively work for it, as if the fact that a young black man was taking the world by storm was wrong and abnormal, and he needed to be “put back in his place”.
He also became a global force, easily channeling different cultures in his art and being loved all over the world. That is threatening to a society that believes that only white people are fit to mediate different cultures, and that insists in labeling blackness as ‘exotic’.
Michael Jackson was a black man that was proud of his heritage and was fascinated by people of all races and cultures. His words and actions are proof of that. Those who accuse him of wanting to change his race are projecting onto him their opinion that being white is better.
No one gets to define our race/ethnicity but ourselves. It’s time to stop the bigotry and the oppression against Michael Jackson and all other people of color and appreciate the beauty in the diversity that surrounds us. //
