Inspiring Vid: We are the World

by Charles Lenchner · 2009-03-29 08:32:00 UTC
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This is that song from 1985 written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie to encourage people to take action against famine in Africa. They assembled the best and most famous pop stars to join forces and make a difference.

This YouTube version has a nice feature: the names of the artists appear within, making it possible for those of who can't remember everybody (maybe because we weren't born yet?) to see who sings what.

It really is an inspiring song. I love how the short line each person sings as a solo really captures the special quality of that voice.

Looking back at that moment, nearly 25 years ago, it's fair to ask a few questions. First, is Africa better off as a result of all that intervention? A number of critics have written about the failure of aid and charity to change the fundamental problems in Africa that produce war and famine as symptoms.

My reason for displaying this old video is to remember the organization One Voice. Remember them? Led by founder Daniel Lubetzky, they tried to bring Hollywood celebrities to pay attention to Israeli-Palestinian peace. This included a television spot in Palestine by Richard Gere, celebrity endorsements from Jerry Seinfeld, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Jason Alexander, Lucy Liu, and Edward Norton (among others), a peace concert in Jericho (it was canceled for fear of terrorist attacks) and more. Back in the heady days of 2005, Lubetzky said that it was time for a 'second chance':

Daniel Lubetzky believes that, ten years after Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, we have been given a "second chance" to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. In a sense, he wants to turn the clock back to those moments just before Yitzhak Rabin walked down the steps following the peace rally.  He wants to catch that moment, freeze it, and then fast-forward to where we might be if Rabin had lived.  The constituency for peace that Rabin saw clearly in his final moments - an Israeli constituency and a Palestinian constituency - is still there.  But this time it has to be mobilized.  That is Lubetzky's mission. And it must be ours as well.

[From MJ Rosenberg, 2/25/05]

That second chance didn't seem to pan out. I haven't heard much from One Voice lately. The election that One Voice worked so hard to promote resulted in a Hamas victory. Hollywood celebrities are not paying much attention to Israel and Palestine these days. Israel, more than ever before in its history, is in a right wing, militarized and violent posture, suspicious of peace and peace talks.

Are there any celebrities out there we could tap? Probably not. The current moment isn't going to become inspiring no matter how many pop-stars and actors dip their toe in cause marketing.

Learn more about One Voice here.

Charles Lenchner
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