Grammy-winning artist Stevie Wonder posted a video in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in which he called on the Biden-Harris administration to help reconcile the inequality that persists in America.
Wonder structured the video like a letter, beginning the message by recalling the time he met King and the influence he has had on his life and music.
“Dear Dr. King, I met you when I was 14 years of age. You were a true hero and you became an inspiration,” Wonder said. “I’ve been blessed to write songs of hope, love and motivation, many of them inspired by your life. More than any award 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.”
As if speaking to King, Wonder talked about about the lack of progress in racial equality since his death in 1968, adding that it “is painful to know that needle has not moved one iota.”
“For 36 years, we’ve had a national holiday honoring your birthday and principles, yet you would not believe the lack of progress,” Wonder said. “It makes me physically sick. I am sick of politicians trying to find an easy solution to a 400-year problem.”
Wonder then emphasized the importance of truth, and asked Biden and Harris to “launch a formal investigation to establish the truth of inequality in this country.”
“It is time to formally seek the truth and formally declare facts,” Wonder said. “We need a truth commission that forces this country to look at its lies.”
Wonder also specifically encouraged the Senate “to speak truth to what they know,” presumably during Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial.
“Dr. King, these times require courage, as they did when you lived and paid the ultimate price,” Wonder said at the video’s conclusion. “On this day, a day in your honor, I pledge to have the courage to say what I see and acknowledge what I hear.”
Watch Wonder’s full video below.
— Stevie Wonder (@StevieWonder) January 18, 2021