World and business leaders, non-profit organizations, and thousands (in excess of 60,000) Global Citizens united on the Great Lawn at Central Park for the 2019 Global Citizen Festival. Presented by Citi and Cisco, the festival was created to further the world’s progress toward achieving the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and ending extreme poverty by 2030.
Since the first Global Citizen Festival in New York in 2012, Global Citizen has grown into one of the largest, most visible platforms for people around the world calling on world leaders to honor their responsibilities in achieving United Nations Sustainable Development goals. Global Citizens have mobilized $48.5 billion in commitments and policy announcements from leaders that have impacted the lives of 880 million people living in extreme poverty. The ability to bring diverse A-list performers to the stage has been the crux for the audiences and this year’s lineup held up to previous endeavors.
Star power this year arrived in host/performers such as Iman, Forrest Whitaker, Taraji P. Henson, French Montana, H.E.R., Pharrell Williams and Alicia Keys. Next year the talent pool ramps up as a new initiative entitled Global Goal Live: The Possible Dream enters the fray. Working alongside and in support of the United Nations, this campaign will call on governments, philanthropists, and the private sector to step forward, take responsibility for the goals, and provide the $350 billion needed annually for people and the planet to achieve the global goals in the poorest countries. The campaign will culminate on September 26, 2020, with a historic 10-hour global broadcast event spanning five continents. Simultaneous anchor events are currently planned for Central Park in New York, and Lagos, Nigeria, and to-be-announced cities in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
At press time, news broke that three pioneer artist have transitioned. Jessye Norman, a woman whose consciousness and accomplishments in the music industry could have easily graced the Global Citizen stage, passed away Monday, September 30, at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York at the age of 74. The official cause of death was septic shock and multi-organ failure secondary to complications of a spinal cord injury she had sustained in 2015. Norman, a fellow Howard University alumnus, was a four time Grammy award winner, additionally winning a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2006. Norman founded the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in 2002 and in 2010 received the National Medal of Arts from then President Barack Obama.
Dancehall luminary Leonard Ford aka Louie Rankin passed on September 30 in a car accident on Highway 89 near Shelburne, Ontario, Canada. His 1992 single “Typewriter” is still a club staple but his legacy as a dancehall/hip-hop legend was cemented with his portrayals of infamous gangstas Teddy Bruck Shut and Ox in the respective films “Shottas” and “Belly.”
Lastly hip-hop pioneer James Bromley Spicer professionally known as Jimmy Spicer, succumbed to his battle with brain and lung cancer. Spicer was one of the preeminent story tellers of the genre as his single “Adventures of Super Rhymes” would attest. His singles “The Bubble Bunch” and “Money (Dollar Bill Y’all)” were heavily sampled by the likes of Dr. Dre, MC Lyte, the Wu Tang Clan and Busta Rhymes. Busta Rhymes in an Instagram post said of the passing, “Just know you and your Greatness as an MC contributed significantly to me wanting to be an MC King. Rest well as you transition King and thank you for everything you’ve done for me and the Culture.”
Over and out. Holla next week. Until then, enjoy the nightlife.