Michael Jackson's Black Or White

One of the best by Michael Jackson, an Afrocentric book I read several years ago dismissed it as Michael Jackson singing from his experience being both black and white. "Black or White," seemingly a pro-colorblind jam, Michael "I ain't scared of no sheets" Jackson challenges white racism and clearly uses images from a Ku Klux Klan event to express his stance. Unfortunately, the rap portion ends with "I'm not gonna spend my life being a color," which could allude to a colorblind ideal, but I still think this song is more nuanced than a simple crazy MJ forgetting he's black. 

In addition, it's perfect pop, with a perfect guitar-driven hook and some famous celebrities in the music video. The music video, however, does feature some rather stereotypical depictions of Africans hunting a lion but counteracts that with landmarks and representatives from all over the world to give a complete portrayal of humanity (though the Native Americans, Russians, Indians, etc. are all depicted in the most stereotypical ways while dancing alongside Michael). Indeed, the fact that Jackson sees race as beyond the black-white binary in the US may shows his complex understanding of race relations in the United States.

 It could also just be another way of showing a colorblind ideal world that may or may not be his vision, but it's difficult to say. Remember, MJ's racial views likely changed over time, and by the late 1990s or early 2000s, he was affiliated with the Nation of Islam in some form and owned property in Bahrain, perhaps suggestive of  a shift from Michael's "white wannabe" days to what Huey Freeman deems the "renegrofication of our most famous racial defector."

On another level, the song is clearly about interracial love, and most likely, that between a black man and a white woman. The following lyrics make that quite clear:

I Took My Baby

On A Saturday Bang

Boy Is That Girl With You

Yes We're One And The Same

So, Michael is singing in response to racists opposed to miscegenation, which would fit into the broader message of the song, not just illustrate a 'colorblind' world that surely Jackson was not foolish enough to believe. As he makes quite clear, he isn't afraid of blood or sheets, the forces of white racism. Of course, by the time this song came out, most racism is not just the terrain of fringe white supremacist groups, but structural, a factor lacking in "Black or White." Perhaps it is best to view this song as a pro-interracial love song and not extrapolate too much into the rest of society. Regardless, it's a catchy tune!