A Grand Ceremony for a Global Legend

On the morning of Tuesday, July 7, as had been announced earlier, the memorial ceremony for Michael Jackson was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles—the same place where he had performed on stage the night before his death. Although the information about the ceremony was somewhat chaotic due to a lack of knowledge of the details, and the ceremony began with a half-hour delay, it was still carried out in a fitting manner. Although it was initially said that Michael Jackson’s body would not go to the Staples Center, the opposite happened. A little after 8:00 AM on Tuesday, several cars left the Jackson family home toward Forest Lawn Park, where it is said Michael’s body would be hosted. The night before, Michael’s family had paid their respects to him in a private ceremony at Forest Lawn. After a short ceremony at the Hall Of Liberty in Forest Lawn—where Michael’s family and friends had the chance to say goodbye to his body—the coffin, covered with flowers, was transferred into a car with all due respect to the Staples Center. The car carrying Michael’s body was accompanied by several other cars carrying his family and close relatives, and it received military-style honors from police stationed along the route. At the Staples Center, Michael’s body was placed in a very beautiful coffin on the floor of the hall in front of the stage, among very large groups of flowers. The coffin remained closed throughout the ceremony, and there was a magnificent display of respect. All members of Michael’s family and all three of his children were present at the ceremony. His daughter Paris, at the end of the event, amid tears that moved many people, said that since she came into this world, "Dad was the best father she could have imagined." She cried as she said she loved her father very much. At the ceremony, Al Sharpton, a social activist for Black people, delivered an impactful speech and said that if Michael had not stood up against problems and obstacles, this kind of progress for music and for Black people would not have been achieved. A member of the U.S. Congress, lawmakers’ representatives, presented Michael Jackson with a plaque from this congress, praising him as a legend and music idol, as well as a humanitarian. The ceremony was shown live in large halls around the world. News networks such as CNN and BBC also provided full coverage of the event. A CNN reporter, while praising the grandeur of the ceremony, said that such a memorial demonstrates Michael Jackson’s greatness. It was also said that U.S. President Barack Obama—who is in Russia—witnessed the ceremony via satellite. In the view of many social activists such as Al Sharpton, if Michael Jackson had not crossed racial boundaries, had not removed barriers, and had not created an alliance among all the world’s races through his music, then Barack Obama the Black would not be in the White House right now. Many consider Michael Jackson to be the musical Martin Luther King. At the end of the ceremony, Marlon Jackson, Michael’s brother, said with emotion that no one knows what pressures Michael had endured. Because of some people in Iran who are calling him racist due to his skin whitening, Michael has been labeled a racist. But Michael always took pride in being Black. And although his skin condition took away his skin color, Michael will always be known as a proud and inspiring member of America’s Black community—a symbol of the fight against racism in music. And as Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, said—facing the standing applause of the attendees: "The title King of Pop is not enough for Michael. He is the greatest ringmaster and entertainer of all time." Still, there is no exact news yet about Michael’s burial. Wait for additional updates and photos from the ceremony. Source: eMJey