Chris Brown's Tribute to Michael Jackson

I was watching the BET Awards, this evening and noted that R& B artist Chris Brown was granted the honor of paying tribute Pop Icon, Michael Jackson. If I were to choose someone who personifies what Jackson stood for, I don't think Brown is the right choice. A year ago, we watched in shock as photos of his girlfriend, Rihanna's face appeared, bloodied and beaten. Michael Jackson was a pure non-violent person. I would think the Jackson family would not want his legacy sullied by Chris' recent forays with the law. It was in bad taste. Whilst his performance was lackluster, and even at times appeared emotional, I am not sure if the emotion was directed at 'the man in the mirror'.

One thing is clear, this issue has again reminded us that violence against women and children must end. In recent news articles and events, we have seen an escalation in violent crimes against women and children. We cannot become desensitized to the fact that this is a daily occurence in our society. We must work to end the violence, not only in the African-American community, but in all communities. We must educate ourselves on non-violent appraoches to crises. If you know someone, who is experiencing domestic violence, you can obtain more information from the National Domestic Violence Hotline @ www.nvdh.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE.

Harriet Cammock is an author and the host of the weekly Radio Broadcast, The Faith Hour. You can get more information about Harriet on speaking enagagements from her web site; www.harrietcammock.org.