Look To The Stars

The Positive Influences of Celebrities

With pop culture such an integral part of our everyday lives – whether through the radio, television, or Internet society – it’s no wonder that celebrities and other public personalities have such a great influence on contemporary society. Unfortunately, constant (and often unflattering) media coverage of a few reckless celebrities and the irresponsible personas of reality television programs have frequently cast the group as a whole in a negative light society – as poor role models who don't contribute anything meaningful to the world while the rest of society works. However, contrary to this common stereotype of the useless celebrity, many singers, actors, and other public figures, including Michael Jackson, Angelina Jolie, and KevJumba, have utilized their fame and society’s admiration to promote awareness of worldwide humanitarian causes, to stand up for human rights issues, and to inspire society towards positive changes.

In the past, scores of celebrities have come together in efforts to support international poverty and humanitarian relief. One prominent example in the music industry was from the 1980s, when Michael Jackson organized a group of the most famous singers of his day from all genres of music including Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and Tina Turner to sing “We Are The World” and raise money for children in developing African countries, particularly Ethiopia where around one million people died during the 1983-1985 famine. The collaborative United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) super group was comprised of forty-seven singers and released the single in March 1985.

By tagging on the signatures and endorsements from celebrities, the song skyrocketed to the top billboard charts with over 20 million copies and raised over $63 million dollars toward relief domestically and internationally. The 1985 hit became the first ever multi-platinum single and with its runaway success, over 70 projects were launched in seven African countries in agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, water sanitation, and reforestation. Additionally, ten percent of the funds went to support domestic hunger and homeless programs in the United States. Undoubtedly, the USA for Africa celebrities used their fame to call on their fans to contribute to making a better world.

Similarly, when the strongest Haitian earthquake in over two hundred years left buildings in the western hemisphere’s poorest country toppled to the ground and the capital, Port-Au-Prince, defunct of all hospitals, communication systems, and transportation facilities on January 12, 2010, over 80 celebrities and songwriters again came together to raise awareness for a common cause. With the participation of famous contemporary singers like Jamie Fox, Justin Bieber, Barbara Streisand, and Celine Dion, the new “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” once again inspired millions of people to help out the poor Haitian people and do what they could to alleviate their suffering.
Moreover, a brilliant Spanish version of the song was released later in February 2010 as Somos El Mundo 25 Por Haiti with all revenue going to earthquake relief. Haiti, whose turbulent history has been rife with political instability, corruption, and poverty, saw millions of aid dollars and thousands of volunteers pouring into the country from all over the world in attempt to alleviate suffering and help in the rebuilding process. In this way, society’s admiration of famous people was beneficial.

Outside of the music sphere, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in particular are some of the most notable philanthropists who have used their fame and affluence to ignite activist change. Named an Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador (UNHCR) in 2001, Jolie has since been on field missions around the globe and has actively campaigned for the rights of various displaced persons throughout the world, in over 20 countries, including Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Pakistan, Thailand, Ecuador, Kosovo, and Kenya. Moreover, besides her work with the United Nations, Jolie and her husband use their public profile and media attention to educate the public about the plight of refugees. The couple regularly releases public service announcements promoting World Refugee Day and makes generous contributions to help fund education projects for children affected by conflict, encouraging their fans to follow suit. In this way, Jolie and Pitt have used their celebrity to increase awareness of international human rights issues and improve society as a whole.

A contemporary example of celebrities who use their fame to initiate philanthropic changes is the Youtube celebrity, KevJumba. Although originally just a funny kid in high school, with Youtube videos reaching over a million views, Kevin Wu decided to use his rise to fame to give back to the world. In 2009, he launched his project, Jumbafund, where every view counted towards charity. In other words, each time one of KevJumba’s million viewers watches one of his videos on his channel, an advertiser donates a few cents to charities that viewers vote on like NothingButNets in the fight against malaria, the World Wildlife Fund to protect endangered species, St. Jude’s Children Hospital to support cancer research, or To Write Love on Her Arms to help people struggling with depression, eating disorders, and addictions. By doing so, Kevjumba encouraged his thousands of fans and subscribers to help society, just as the philanthropic celebrities did for Africa and for Haiti.

With the film and music industries thus having such a wide-reaching effect on contemporary culture, several celebrities in every field have used their fame and recognition to support humanitarian efforts worldwide, publicize their stand on human rights issues, and achieve incredible philanthropic milestones. The immensely popular 1985 single "We Are The World" and the 2010 remakes moved a new generation into action and consciousness of the plight of the African and Haitian people, while public announcements and projects run by celebrities are helping to increase awareness of refugee conditions in war-torn regions and other dire situations. In these ways, celebrities as dissimilar as Michael Jackson, Angelina Jolie, and KevJumba have made significant contributions in improving the livelihoods of millions around the globe. By turning their publicity into something useful – by initiating a constructive impact and benefiting society – these stars have earned the admiration of millions of fans, even beyond a movie screen.

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