By Victor Omondi
It has been 53 years since Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. Stevie Wonder has been a great admirer of the late civil rights hero, as of a video he shared.
In 1980, 17 years after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., Wonder came out to champion the establishment of the civil rights crusader’s birthday as a national holiday.
On January 15, 2021, which is the 36th Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Wonder shared his message to the long-gone activist in a video.
“Dear Dr. King, I met you when I was 14 years of age. You were a true hero, and you became an inspiration. I’ve been blessed to write songs of hope, love, and motivation, most of them are inspired by your life,” said the 70-year-old social activist. “More than any reward 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,” continued Wonder.
However, Wonder continued to ventilate his pain in seeing the country carrying out a “mouth movement” instead of a “righteous action.” Wonder lamented over the decades-long celebrations of Dr. King Luther, that never improved racial equality.
“It is painful to know that the needle has not moved one iota. For 36 years we have had a national holiday honoring your birthday and principles, yet you would not believe the lack of progress,” he said.
“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 that truth is struggling to be heard and defended,” said Wonder.
Wonder requested of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to “launch a formal government investigation to establish the truth of equality” in the country. Doing so, he believes, would bring about reconciliation, accountability, forgiveness, and eventually healing. And that is what he would like to see happen in America.
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