Michael Jackson and a blue-eyed child

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1 am torn between despair and pride. Johnnie, my 5-year-old grandson, wants to grow up to be just like Michael Jackson. He comes over to our house with his "unbreakable" tape recorder and his cassette of the song Thriller. He plays Thriller and Beat it at the loudest volume for hours. He is also determined to "breakdance" like the other kids in his childcare center.

This blond, blue-eyed little boy, along with millions of children, has as his role model a talented young Black man, Michael Jackson. There is even a Michael Jackson costume for children. Some Johnnie doesn't understand that over 20 years ago, Black children his age and even younger were marching in the streets of Birmingham, Selma, and Little Rock. Marching through the valley of death, surrounded by armed white racist cops and thugs deputized to defend the white supremacy of the Jim Crow system.

The children just kept on marching-despite the powerful water hoses that hurled them to the ground. Their parents took the International children on the protest marches convinced that it is better to stand and fight together-even if confronting this racist system could VIEWPOINT The television screens allowed millions of viewers to witness the criminal violence unleashed against Blacks who were fighting the racist conditions in this country. It was a sickening sight. The myth of "happy Black folk" had been destroyed forever.

Johnnie doesn't understand the reason he wants to be like Michael Jackson, instead of John Wayne or Elvis Presley. Nor is he aware that Jesse Jackson, a Black man, can run a serious campaign for president of the United States because of the massive civil rights demonstrations and sit-ins of the 1960s. He doesn't understand that all of this could never have happened just by votBlack rights were not won by voting for Democrats-they were International Viewpoint is a twice-monthly Marxist magazine providing current news analysis won in the streets by the independent action of millions of Blacks. on international events. Recent issues have covered the coal miners' strike in Britain, the battle Only by organizing independently and in opposition to this oppres- for a 35-hour workweek in West Germany, the Iran-Iraq war, and the Central American revolusive, capitalist system and its political parties can we be assured We offer a special introductory offer of three issues for $3. A six-month subscription is $22, that children never have to face the racism of Birmingham again. and one-year of International Viewpoint is available for $42. For in-depth coverage of world I'm torn between listening to Thriller for the umpteenth time, events subscribe now! Write to Box 80B, 2520 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60614. and my pride in this little blue-eyed boy who wants to be just like Michael Jackson. May his tribe increase.

Soclalist Action June 1984 19 Chicago Socialist Action Box 80 B 2520 N. Lincoln Chicago, IL 60614 (312) 248-1094 Cincinnati Socialist Action P.O. Box 3033 Cincinnati, OH 45201 (513) 242-9043 Cleveland Socialist Action P.O. Box 6151 of his friends already have one. Cleveland, OH 44101 (216) 429-2167 Subscribe to cost them their very lives.

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tion. Houston, TX 77004 (713) 643-2030 Los Angeles Socialist Action 18653 Ventura Blvd Box 217 Los Angeles, CA 91356 (213) 343-4511 Michigan Socialist Action P.O. Box 4523 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Minneapolis Socialist Actir P.O. Box 14087 Dinkytown Station Minneapolis, MN 55414 New York Socialist Action P.O. Box 20209 Cathedral Finance 693 Columbus Ave New York, NY 10025 (602) 951-0354 Pittsburgh Socialist Action P.O. Box 10769 Pittsburgh, PA 15203 Puget Sound Socialist Action P.O. Box 2903 Olympia, WA 98507 San Francisco Socialist Actiol 3435 Army Street, Rm. 308 San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 821-0458 Washington Socialist Action P.O. Box 3467 Washington, D.C. 20010 (202) 232-1481

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