*face palm*

First off, yes it is sad that Michael Jackson died so young. However I do wish people would leave him to rest in peace already. His kids need time to heal and all this constant media hype isn’t helping them. They should be everyone’s #1 concern.

However, this isn’t about the media. Over on Facebook there’s this silly poll asking if there should be a holiday named after Michael. Most people say “No” because “There’s no holiday for Elvis or John Lennon.” (Sad that they keep forgetting Buddy Holly without whom John Lennon would’ve never had a career! Hello, the Beatles were HUGE Buddy Holly fans! I understand Paul McCartney owns all the publishing rights to Holly’s songs. And that’s why they’re named The Beatles – Buddy Holly & The Crickets – The Beatles – get it?) Some people are angry at the people who are pointing this out, claiming “Michael Jackson made it possible for *insert any famous black/African-American* person’s name here* to be in show business!”

*(A lot of black people, like my mom’s best friend, HATE being called African-American and find it way more offensive then the word black. And like Whoopi Goldberg points out all the time, not all black people are of African descent.)

Um – NO! SAMMY DAVIS JR did that! Even Michael himself knew that.

People like to call Sammy a “sell-out” because he hung out with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Also because he married and had children with a white woman. Well, if he hadn’t “sold-out” (which he really didn’t) we would’ve never had a Michael Jackson.

It was Sammy – with Frank’s help – whom helped desegregate Las Vegas hotels. Before him black performers were not allowed to stay at the same hotels they were performing at. They weren’t even allowed dressing rooms. They had to change in the bathrooms. Sammy wouldn’t put up with that. Neither would his friends. So he and they took a stand. He even made sure that people whom worked for him, black people, were allowed to play slots and other casino games.

This is just one of the areas where Sammy did so much. He’s the one who made it possible for the Michael Jacksons, the Oprah’s, the Eddie Murphy’s. NOT Michael Jackson.

And Sammy doesn’t even have a postage stamp. Elvis does. Frank does. Even Disney characters and Universal movie monsters. But I have yet to see a Sammy Davis Jr stamp. (And honestly he was the most talented member of the Rat Pack.)

So this call for a “Michael Jackson Day” and saying he’s the one who broke all the barriers and such deserves this -

Tags: Buddy Holly, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, face palm, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr, The Beatles