Stevie Wonder decries 'lack of progress' for equality in video message to Martin Luther King Jr.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images; Howard Sochurek/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
If Martin Luther King Jr. was around to see what America looked like in 2021, Stevie Wonder said he "would not believe the lack of progress."
To celebrate the late civil rights icon, who would've turned 92 on Jan. 15, Wonder shared a video of his message to King on MLK Day.
"Dear Dr. King, I met you when I was 14 years of age. You were a true hero and you became an inspiration," the 70-year-old singer began. "I've been blessed to write songs of hope, love, and motivation, many of them inspired by your life. More than any award that I've ever received, I want you to know that I am thankful for how you influenced my place of love, which allowed me to try to push the needle of love and equality forward."
Wonder continued, saying that although the country has celebrated King's birthday for decades, it has not truly honored his work.
"It is painful to know that needle has not moved one iota," he said. "For 36 years, we've had a national holiday honoring your birthday and principles, yet you would not believe the lack of progress. It makes me physically sick. I am sick of politicians trying to find an easy solution to a 400-year problem. I am sick of some people using God as a convenience rather than a commitment. I am sick of lies and deceit that dominate our reality. I am sick that truth is struggling to be heard and defended.
"Until we turn our mouth movement into righteous action, we're doing our nation, God, and your memory an injustice. Until what we say is what we do, there is no truth," he added. "It is just repeating and rewriting history just as we have for the last 400 years. We must define the truth in the facts that support them and declare them absolute. Those who promote lies and false truth must be held accountable."
Wonder said the country needs a "truth commission," and called on President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to "launch a formal government investigation to establish the truth of inequality in this country. This truth will validate the history and this commission will recommend reconciliation. Without truth, we cannot have accountability. Without accountability, we cannot have forgiveness. Without forgiveness, we cannot heal."
Although he did not name names, Wonder seemingly addressed Donald Trump's administration by saying, "Those in leadership who won't or don't acknowledge the truth should be held accountable. Dr. King, these times require courage, as they did when you lived and paid the ultimate price. On this day, a day in your honor, I pledge to have the courage to say what I see and acknowledge what I hear."
He concluded: "In your spirit, I call on all those in the Senate to speak truth to what they know they can physically see and begin the steps of accountability, forgiveness, and then healing."
As he mentioned in his video, Wonder has long been an admirer of King's work. In 1980, he campaigned to have the activist's birthday become a national holiday. Wonder joined Twitter on April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of King's death, with a video titled "The Dream Still Lives." The Obamas, Mariah Carey, Lupita Nyong'o, BTS, Paul McCartney, and more appeared in the video to honor King's legacy.
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