The Day The Earth Stood Still (Harlem Remembers MJ)

When my children ask me one day where I was when Michael Jackson passed away, I'll tell them this:

I had just come home from being out with my mom and sister. My dad was upstairs in his room watching CNN and asked us if we had heard about Michael Jackson being rushed to the hospital. I said "No..." and quickly turned my attention to the tv. I was thinking "First Ed McMahon...Then Farrah Fawcett this morning...and now...Oh God...please not Michael" My dad said "Well you know they say death comes in 3's"...I couldn't believe what I was hearing and just knew that Michael would be alright. We all sat there and waited...I got calls from my friends Michael and Gia as we kept going back and forth over the phone lines just waiting to hear good news.

I immediately turned on my mac to see what Twitter was saying..."RIP MICHAEL JACKSON" was the trending topic, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. TMZ had already announced it, but I didn't want to believe such a gossip news channel. Then about 15 minutes later, MSNBC and CNN stated the very unthinkable thing that I could ever imagine:

"MICHEAL JACKSON DEAD AT 50"

Silence.
Disbelief.
Devastation.

All jumbled together. I became so overwhelmed that I couldn't help but start to cry as if the news was talking about a family member of my own.

Michael Jackson's dead?? I kept repeating.

It almost felt like a terrible dream that I wanted someone to wake me from.

Days later, still in shock, I knew I didn't want to be in Atlantic City where no one was really remembering or reacting to MJ's passing in the way I wanted to see.

I knew I had to go to NY.

This is what my eyes saw that day...









































The last of his kind.



President Barack Obama comments on Michael Jackson's passing:



Michael Jackson's music was a huge part of my childhood and life in general. I was born the same year and month he showcased his famous "moonwalk" dance. When my dad use to make home videos, I remember seeing one where my sister and I (around 8 and 9 yrs old) were dancing in a dim living room to "Thriller". In the video, my sister was dancing so hard she ended up falling down and spraining her ankle! Never forget that.

I remember loving Michael Jackson so much as a kid, thinking he was so incredibly talented and so very handsome. Everyday since his tragic passing on June 25th, I wake up hearing his music playing in my parents room and I'm reminded he's not here anymore. It's such a surreal thing. Never thought I'd see "RIP" next to Michael Jackson's name so soon in my life. Although he was photographed looking very troubled and often ill over the past few years, I just always thought he'd be around. Seeing younger pictures of him now make me want to cry knowing we had such an iconic figure on this earth, someone who bought so much happiness to many people around the world, and now he's left in our hearts and the history books. Forever.

His music will live on until the end of time. And I feel privileged knowing he lived in my lifetime.

Rest In Peace at last Michael. How you made people of all races across the globe and expanding generations feel so good will forever be remembered.

Love Eternally,
Nastassia