Stevie Wonder takes a knee to protest hate, inequality & now he faces a ‘boycott’

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Stevie Wonder is a national treasure and if you boycott Stevie Wonder, you are trash. I’m sorry, but I feel that strongly about it. Stevie Wonder had a busy weekend, performing at the Global Citizen Festival in New York on Saturday, then performing at the Concert for Charlottesville in Virginia on Sunday night. Please note that it’s probably highly unlikely that Wonder got paid for either of those appearances – he often participates in charity concerts because he’s a national treasure, for the love of God. Anyway, at the Global Citizen festival, Wonder did this:

He said: “Tonight, I’m taking a knee for America. But not just one knee; I’m taking both knees. Both knees in prayer for our planet, our future, our leaders of the world and our globe. Amen.”

And then Stevie Wonder did the same thing in Charlottesville! Dave Matthews – a Charlottesville native – organized the concert in the wake of the neo-Nazi/white supremacist rally in his city.

Closing out Dave Matthews’ Concert for Charlottesville, Stevie Wonder once again took a knee for America. Wonder had made the gesture — a response to President Donald Trump’s remarks this weekend regarding NFL players who kneel or sit in protest of the playing of the National Anthem — at the sixth annual Global Citizen Festival on Central Park’s Great Lawn. After joining the Dave Matthews Band onstage, Wonder commended Matthews for using his musical gifts to “spread the never-ending cry to love.”

Wonder said it was an emotional night for him, adding “my mother cries in heaven for me…She left me in a world where she believed I would be able to see. And I do,” he explained. “But not in the way she imagined. What I have seen too much if is breaking my heart,” Wonder said, then referring to the violent events in Charlottesville in August, he told the crowd, “I have seen hate marching down the streets disguised as a cry for equality.” And, he added, “If can see it, dammit, I know you can see it.” The question was, Wonder said, “What are we going to do about it?”

Then, after sharing lyrics to the unreleased song “Fear Can’t Put Dreams to Sleep,” Wonder dropped to one, then both his knees, with Matthews following suit.

“I take a knee for America and two knees in prayer for our world. Amen.”

[From Billboard]

Pharrell Williams performed in Charlottesville as well, and he kneeled too. Ariana Grande and Justin Timberlake also performed. Still, Stevie is the star. And now the Deplorables are trying to “boycott” Stevie Wonder, an American treasure. Don’t let them. Listen to “Superstition” today. Listen to “My Cherie Amour” today.

While in Charlottesville, Stevie also posed with two local musicians at a bar called Miller’s Downtown!

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

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65 Responses to “Stevie Wonder takes a knee to protest hate, inequality & now he faces a ‘boycott’”

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  1. Bijou says:

    I’m more concerned with why Stevie Wonder was playing with Dave Matthews. Anyway, anyone who boycotts anyone for bending the knee is their own special kind of trash.

  2. STRIPE says:

    Sure Jan.
    Because I’m sure they listen to him allllllll the time anyway. Eye roll. Just like them “boycotting” The Late Show after the Emmys.

    • bleu_moon says:

      Or when they boycotted “Hamilton.” I’m so sure that hit ’em right in the box office.

      • Tate says:

        Yeah, I hear Hamilton was crushed after the deplorable boycott.

      • Arock says:

        Totally. I’ll go ahead and make the sweeping assumption most white supremacist, trump loving, flat earth types don’t have Hamilton or a whole lot of Motown in their play list. (And if any neo nazis et al want to chime in and claim different, by all means, please identify themselves and state differently….)

    • lyla says:

      rememer they also boycotted star wars. lol

      but the best one was when they boycotted starbucks by going to starbucks and have the baristas write trump on the cups. yes, by all means, boycott a company by paying them. they are so smart, those deplorables.

      • madonami says:

        this was my favorite, the starbucks boycott that involved BUYING starbucks. at this point, i feel like the deplorables are either really dumb or really racist/sexist, not sorry. i know approximately 2 trump supporters. neither is dumb; both are racist/sexist af. and one is a woman. who thinks women shouldn’t be able to vote b/c we’re “too emotional.” seriously.

  3. CharlieBouquet says:

    Bahhhhhhaaahh. Good luck Cult45, the man is an icon.

  4. Her Higness says:

    Thank you so much Stevie!

  5. Green Is Good says:

    Like Stevie Wonder gives a shit about deplorables boycotting him.

  6. Indiana Joanna says:

    Listen to “I Am Singing,” listen to “Golden Lady,” listen to “Higher Ground,” listen to “Superwoman.” I could list a dozen more Stevie songs that move me like no other music I’ve ever heard.

    Shame on the deplorables. They lead dead eyed lives that seem joyless.

  7. HK9 says:

    If you don’t have it in you to respectfully disagree with Stevie Wonder , I judge you. Why does calling things as they are and/or peaceful protest always deserve a boycott?

    • mary says:

      amen sister

    • Lorelai says:

      @HK9: Thank you! Why do these idiots insist on “boycotting” anything/person they disagree with? Not that their “boycotts” 🙄 affect Starbucks or Hamilton anyway, but they are like a bunch of toddlers stomping their feet. Every. Time.

      They are also raising a generation of people who will have zero tolerance for any opinions that differ from their own. That is what I find scariest about this crap.

  8. why? says:

    What are the odds that the people launching these boycotts against the NFL and Stevie W are Russian bots? Rob Reiner and Morgan Freeman launched the Committee to Investigate Russia and he stated that they are being harassed by the Russian bots. The bots used FB to organize Pro Trump rallies. It’s scary how much of our country has been breached.

  9. holly hobby says:

    Those morons. Their argument was that taking a knee before the national anthem or in front of a flag was disrespectful. Ok if that’s true, why are you boycotting Stevie? He didn’t kneel in front of the anthem or flag. Idiot hypocrites are just bellyaching because a minority dares speak up.

    • whatWHAT? says:

      “Idiot hypocrites are just bellyaching because a minority dares speak up.”

      nail. head.

      no one ever complained about the people who were at concessions or in the bathroom during the anthem. and most of the folks complaining likely NEVER stand for it at home. they’re also either at concessions (the fridge) or in the john. but one of those “uppity” athletes DARES to make a stand against police brutality and the inequality that exists in our country? nah, son…just dance for the white man and don’t make waves.

    • Rapunzel says:

      They get mad at anything that appears Anti-Trump. Such snowflakes. They even for mad at NPR for tweeting the Declaration of independence on July 4th. I give up trying to help them.

  10. MellyMel says:

    The deplorables aka #cult45 weren’t listening to Stevie to begin with, so “boycotting” him isn’t gonna make a bit of difference.

    • Lorelai says:

      @MellyMel, they don’t even know what a boycott is!

      I don’t remember the exact details of the Starbucks “boycott” (maybe another poster here will), but didn’t it entail deplorables organizing to all go to Starbucks on a certain day and saying “Trump” when asked for what name should be written on the cup? Something moronic like that.

      It was something that involved announcing they were boycotting Starbucks, while at the same time, lining up en masse at SB to hand over their money 😂

      They’re just too stupid to live, some of them.

      • holly hobby says:

        I bet they line up to get the highest calorie drinks to fill their gullets too. Obviously these Trumpanzes never left high school or that was their glory years and they are now trying to relive it. Pathetic!

      • MellyMel says:

        @Lorelai yeah i vaguely remember something about that! It made no sense to “boycott” a company and then turn around and give them money lol. It’s almost the holidays too, so they’ll probably boycott Starbucks again when the holiday cups come out like they do every year. Idiots!

  11. minx says:

    Stevie is a legend. He doesn’t have to worry about these idiots.

  12. Lady D says:

    Listening to My cherie amour now. The orange toad will never take down Stevie Wonder.

  13. AnnaKist says:

    CORRECTION: Stevie Wonder is an International treasure.

    I’ve loved Stevie Wonder since I was 16. His music is timeless and beautiful, as is he. Let them boycott him – it just shows what pathetically ignorant and thin-skinned racists they are. More than that, it means his stance (!) was and is absolutely necessary.

    • Bobbymilly says:

      International treasure is so correct.

    • Trashaddict says:

      Talking Book was the first record (I guess that’s a giveaway) I ever got.
      Innervisions took it higher. “Living for the City” was a revelation to me (I was young). We have passed the Millenium. Why are we still fighting these same battles?

  14. Jess says:

    Ha. This boycott is a joke but I’m buying Stevie songs on iTunes right now anyway just as another small way to say F’U to the deplorables (if these are all bots, on the other hand, I don’t know what the frak to do).

  15. Lola says:

    Not a Stevie fan, but I’m going to go play his songs on spotify and youtube, just because he’s an awesome human being.

  16. Surly Monkey says:

    Download “You Haven’t Done Nothin'” if you don’t already own it and blast it for all the deplorables to hear.

    Worth repeating 10,000 times – “Stevie Wonder is a national treasure and if you boycott Stevie Wonder, you are trash.”

  17. happyoften says:

    The man didn’t take one knee, he took both, to pray for the world, it’s leaders and our future. If he was white and did it in a megachurch, they’d be cheering.

    Black man does it, they mad. Like they own praying. It is bizarre the level of diconnect angry white people employ to bolster they’re hate.

    A peaceful man praying requires a boycott. Because BLACK!!!

    Stevie Wonder deserves a better nation of which to be a treasue. Beacause he is an absolute treasure.

  18. I'mScaredAsHell says:

    As if any of them are actual Stevie Wonder fans. Idiots trying to suppress and oppress others. At the rate the Deplorables are going, there won’t be any left for them to boycott…lol

  19. Radley says:

    What’s amazing to me is that the deplorables continue to overestimate their power and influence, even as the very party they’ve pledged their allegiance to continues to screw them over by delivering nothing but windmills for them to chase. There are some powerful deplorables out there who could potentially impact Stevie career-wise, but I guarantee you those particular deplorables will choose money (and starf*cking) over the marginalized redneck set any day. These people really need to re-frame their own self-defeating narrative. Pitiful. Thinking is good. They need to give it try.

  20. Alix says:

    “Stevie Wonder is a national treasure and if you boycott Stevie Wonder, you are trash.”

    x1,000,000

  21. Susanne says:

    I would love it if taking a knee could be a symbol of unity and equality. Peaceful, respectful. I see so many opportunities that we’re just not taking. Coming together is the only way out of this he!!hole.

  22. Lorelai says:

    Your first sentence says it all, Kaiser. I don’t need to read any further.

    The world has gone goddamn MAD.

  23. Electric Tuba says:

    How do you boycott Stevie Wonder? That’s like boycotting air. He and his legacy of magic exist even if you don’t hear it. It’s like boycotting atoms or water molecules.

    I really dislike people right now!!!

  24. Bobby the K says:

    Watch Stevie’s version of “Superstition” from Sesame Street on youtube. It’s just great.

  25. Triedmetday says:

    The same Stevie who lobbied for MLK birthday to become a natiinal holiday, who has made some of the most ground-breaking, mold shattering compositions since the age of being boycotted by??? SURE JAN…

  26. Miki1975 says:

    Try to listen to Mistrah Know it All from the Innervisions album and not think of Trump. What’s amazing is that it was recorded in 1973.

  27. JRenee says:

    Don’t march, don’t kneel, don’t take a knee, don’t do anything except keep accepting your lot in life in a country that your ancestors built. How very predictable.

    Stevie has written music that will be played decades from now. His great great grandkids are paid. Carry on Stevie, you are a treasure!

  28. paddingtonjr says:

    During every Sunday mass, we kneel down and pray for our country, the world, our leaders and for peace. Black, white, Hispanic, all praying for peace and a better world. For me, it is a wonderful, if brief, respite from the chaos of everyday life. Yet Stevie Wonder, a true international treasure, does the same thing at his concerts and suddenly what was a powerful moment of peaceful togetherness is slandered as a subversive and anti-American protest.

    Hey Trumpsters, want to “Make America Great Again”? Don’t take away what makes America great: the ability to respectfully disagree with each other and express our anger and desire to change things without fear of reprisals or tweets from Bigly.

  29. markweer says:

    Miki1975 called it. Stevie played several of the innervision tunes at the New Orleans Jazz Festival this year and there was a small portion of “deplorables” that were angry about some of his Musical Selections not realizing that a lot of his songs from the late sixties and early seventies were black anthems and protest songs. Listening to them complain wasn’t so much as painful as realizing that they’ve never considered that Stevie has always been political, especially regarding racism.

    • Trashaddict says:

      Stevie could’ve been just another artist who was owned by the machine but he took control of his art and he stood by his vision. Innervisions was such a great album. He’s true to himself and kneeling is his truth-telling.

  30. Lindy says:

    Just echoing what’s already been said–Stevie Wonder is a legend and a treasure and a wonderful philanthropist whose music has made the world a better and more beautiful place. Boycott? Joyless nasty people, indeed.

  31. TotallyBiased says:

    Drumpf-cott.
    Like a boycott, only less successful.

  32. LouLou says:

    I rarely believe people when they say they are going to boycott something or someone. Others have said it: none of these deplorables were buying Stevie Wonder music or tickets in the first place. No serious football fan is going to stop watching football for more than a few weeks or a season if at all. I wonder how many people who swore off Target for all-gender restrooms actually lasted more than a month. It’s just something to say. A well-thought out boycott can have an impact, but crying racist and bigot tears doesn’t impress people.