2001
The ceremony ended with a short Q&A session. After that, Michael delivered his closing remarks. He said that at the next «Heal The Kids» event, which would be held at the University of Oxford in England, he would talk more about love and family. He promised everyone an astonishing speech. Michael also announced the launch of the «Heal The Kids» charity’s website during the event.
Although some time later Michael’s leg gave out due to a fall in Neverland, he promised his fans that he would attend the Oxford University ceremony.
Michael: ”Attending this event is so important to me that I won’t allow a broken foot to stop me from fulfilling my commitment.“
On Sunday, March 4, 2001, Michael arrived at London Airport to begin a busy week.
[Heathrow Airport]
In the early afternoon hours that same day, he checked into the Lanesborough Hotel. Later, he went out for shopping with Macaulay Culkin. They went to the H.M.V. music store and bought several CDs.
On March 5, 2001, Michael had lunch with Yuri Geller and Rabbi Shmueli Batiche at a restaurant in central London. Later that afternoon, the two accompanied him to attend a brief ceremony held by the Royal Institute of British Architects to publicize a new joint book by Batiche and Geller.
[Book launch]
The book, titled ”Jewish Spirit and Monk: An Extraordinary Correspondence“, was a collection of letters that had been exchanged between Batiche and Geller over the years.
At 8:45 p.m. on March 6, 2001, Michael arrived at the University of Oxford.
Michael’s arrival had been scheduled for 6:00 p.m., but at the last moment, because of the pain he felt in his injured foot, he had to see a doctor, which caused his arrival at Oxford to be delayed.
As expected, Michael delivered a speech at the University of Oxford together with his friends Yuri Geller and Rabbi Shmueli Batiche.
[University of Oxford]
Michael’s deep and impactful speech shook the audience.
Michael: ”A speech in a place that previously hosted prominent figures such as Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, Ronald Reagan, Robert Kennedy, and Malcolm X is a great honor for me.
Friends, I can’t claim to have the kind of education that the people who spoke in this hall have. They can’t claim to have the kind of talent for dancing in Monaco either. And you know, especially Einstein, wasn’t particularly skilled in dancing.
But I must say that I have seen more different places and cultures than many people. Human knowledge is not limited to paper and ink. Rather, what exists in people’s hearts, their spirit and inner selves, is also part of this knowledge.
So tonight, I would like to suggest that we hang a list of children’s rights on the wall of every home.
The items on this list are:
The right to be loved, without having to earn it.
The right to be protected, without having to deserve it.
The right to feel that they are valuable, even if they may not have done anything truly valuable.
The right to have their words listened to, even if they aren’t entertaining.
The right to have stories told to them in their beds, without having to compete with half-night news to get them.
The right to study at school, without having to worry about bullets.
The right for others to know them as lovable, even if they have faces that only a mother can love.