Embed from Getty Images
Stevie Wonder is one of my favorite childhood musicians. Most of the musicians that I grew up listening to have all passed away except Stevie and Patty. I always joke that we need to put the two in a protective bubble so that nothing happens. I have even prepared myself for the day the news breaks that one of them has passed away. What I didn’t expect to read was that I would be losing Stevie, not to death but to racism and white supremacy.
Stevie was recently interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. He talked about his fear for his grandchildren. He wants to protect them from the racial injustice and prejudice that have always been prevalent in American society and have escalated in the last decade or so. Stevie told Oprah that he will be moving to Ghana soon because he doesn’t want his grandchildren to grow up begging to be seen as human and be loved by society. Below is more on the interview via ET Online:
“I wanna see this nation smile again, and I want to see it before I leave to travel to move to Ghana,” Wonder, 67, told Winfrey in a recent interview. “Because I’m going to do that.”
According to the celebrated musician, he plans to move in an effort to protect his grandchildren from the racial injustice and prejudice that he feels is pervasive in American society.
“I don’t want to see my children’s children’s children have to say, ‘Oh, please like me. Please respect me. Please know that I am important. Please value me,’” Wonder shared. “What kind of [life would that be]?”
Wonder — who has won 25 GRAMMY awards and has been nominated 74 times — has reportedly been considering a move to Ghana for more than 25 years.
Back in 1994, Wonder said at a gathering for the International Association of African American Music that he wanted to relocate to the West African country because he felt there’s “more of a sense of community there,” according to CNN.
[From ET Online]
It makes me sad that even someone like Stevie Wonder doesn’t feel safe in the U.S. I don’t blame him for wanting to move to a country where people look like him and his grandchildren. In Ghana Stevie’s family won’t have to face the trauma of racism and dehumanization that Black people particularly face daily in the United States. Stevie leaving the U.S. is a major loss. Stevie has had a huge influence on our culture the last four to five decades. But honestly, I feel Stevie’s sadness. I too have been feeling that same weary in the bones sadness and sometimes rage that nothing will ever change in our nation no matter who is in office. I’m not going to lie, I too, especially since January 6th, have been researching places that I can migrate to. I would love to go somewhere in Africa but it is too hot for me on the continent so I am looking at places where you can easily get to Africa, Asia and America. It is unfortunate that the U.S. is such a hostile place for Black people that those of us who can are opting to leave.
When I was in my twenties I had so much hope that my generation would be able to create a better country that was grounded in equity. That we would be able to shift the U.S. away from the difficult times our parents and grandparents had to live in. Instead, we are witnessing our country slide back into a much darker period. The government must have stricter protocols toward law enforcement and modern lynching. Black Americans are terrorized in the US and face injustice daily. I don’t think that will ever change. I personally refuse to stay and fight and shed my blood like my ancestors did for this land without reward. I wish Stevie the best, and I hope he finds happiness, joy and community in Ghana with his family. I also hope the move will bring Stevie peace in his last years.
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) February 19, 2021
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Source: Read Full Article
