In 1972, my Mom traveled to Jakarta Indonesia for work ( I am sure that she will comment on this note with the details…LOL)

While visiting Jakarta she met with the King, Prime Minister..SOMEBODY with a title and whole bunch of status….. (yeah, that is how my Mom rolled…)

Anywhoo, while visiting with the President/Prime Minister/King/Grand PooBa, he mentioned how his daughters just absolutely LOVED the Jackson 5 and were their biggest fans in the world. He continued on about how much his daughters loved them and asked my Mom so matter of factly “Do YOU know them…Do you know the Jackson 5?”

I guess he figured that a well-dressed, traveling black woman from Washington, DC would HAVE to know them…right??? LOL. So, my Mom thought to herself, what harm will it be to fancy these young girls with the possibility of meeting someone who knows the Jackson 5…she said “Oh Yes..of course I do, I know them well!!”

My Mom and the King and family continued their dinner and had a GREAT evening. Well, right before she was to leave, he says “wait a minute my daughters have something for you.” (This is where it gets GOOOOD). His daughters come out to say their goodbyes and proceed to tell my Mom that they know Jermaine’s Birthday is coming up and they would love it if she would give him a gift from them. They proceed to GIVE my Mom a statue made of IVORY and GOLD!!!

My Mom, at this point is like “whoa”….she smiles, takes the gift and is like $#$#@!%#%!!!!!

So…….my mother heads back home after her travels with Jermaine’s Birthday Gift safely secured and says to herself “I have to arrange to meet the MOST popular group in the country…and I guess the world…lol”…..but anyone who knows my Mom, knows…she will get it DONE.

She gets back to the states and is ON IT!!! She immediately has her secretary research the Jackson 5 and tasks her with getting their management’s info (remember this is waaaay before Google, cell phones, internet…this is one on one contact…on a ROTARY phone). She contacts the Secretary of State (I may be wrong on that one…Mom please correct) or somebody and gets a message to Joe Jackson, their Dad and Manager.

Joe Jackson calls our house and chats it up with my Mom. He then says that they will be in Norfolk, VA and would love to invite us and anyone that we want to bring to the show as their personal guests. My Mom invites a friend of hers who has a teenage daughter or niece (my Dad was like…I’m chillin…have a good time…lol) and we head down to Norfolk to have dinner with the Jackson 5, their Dad and some other folks. We then go to the show and spend time with them afterwards at the hotel. During this time, my Mom (who had not mentioned the gift) proceeds to present Jermaine with the Ivory and Gold statue for his birthday!!!!!

We had a great time and really just chilled with them!!! My Mom says that Marlon just would not let me be alone..(maybe they were missing Janet..lol)…..my Mom, her friend, Joe and the adults hung out, and the teenage girl, me and the 5 just chilled…..I was like “I’m sleepy”…c’mon I was 4!!!