Home WebMail Friday, November 1, 2024, 03:28 AM | Calgary | -3.6°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Posted: 2017-09-24T03:33:00Z | Updated: 2017-09-27T17:28:51Z

Stevie Wonder just expressed his solidarity with Colin Kaepernick s protests against police brutality and racial injustice against black people.

Before performing at the annual Global Citizen Festival in New York City on Saturday night, the 67-year-old music legend took the stage and then took a knee, mimicking a gesture of protest first used by Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49er quarterback, during national anthems.

Tonight, Im taking a knee for America, Wonder said to the audience.

But not just one knee, Im taking both knees, both knees in prayer for our planet, our future, our leaders of the world and our globe. Amen.

WATCH: Stevie Wonder takes a knee on the stage \"for America\" at #GCFest https://t.co/lXIMO8fvcT https://t.co/qE97FFQmMH

MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 24, 2017","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"MSNBC","author_url":"https://twitter.com/MSNBC","cache_age":86400,"description":"WATCH: Stevie Wonder takes a knee on the stage "for America" at #GCFest https://t.co/lXIMO8fvcT https://t.co/qE97FFQmMH— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 24, 2017\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"MSNBC on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/911761042761326592","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"59c70579e4b0cdc77331bd6c","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/stevie-wonder-takes-a-knee_n_59c70579e4b0cdc77331bd6c","entryTagsList":"donald-trump,hate-speech,united-states,nfl,colin-kaepernick,stevie-wonder,@health_depression,@health_erectile,@health_ibs,@health_models","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":"entertainment","sectionRedirectUrl":"https://action.news/entertainment","subcategories":"black-voices","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/7f69aa0d-bc77-4580-9f6a-80f7d2fb44ce/1_th.jpg?crop=480:270,smart&width=480&height=270&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":11},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"59c70579e4b0cdc77331bd6c","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/donald-trump","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/donald-trump","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/donald-trump"},"relegenceId":2789214,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Donald Trump","slug":"donald-trump","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/donald-trump"},{"name":"hate speech","slug":"hate-speech","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/hate-speech","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/hate-speech","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/hate-speech"},"relegenceSubjectId":6412702,"department":{"name":"Impact","slug":"impact"},"section":{"title":"Impact","slug":"impact"},"topic":{"title":"Social Justice","slug":"social-justice","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/impact/topic/social-justice"},{"name":"united states","slug":"united-states","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/united-states","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/united-states","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/united-states"},"relegenceId":3804968,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"World News","slug":"world-news"},"topic":{"title":"United States","slug":"united-states","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/united-states"},{"name":"NFL","slug":"nfl","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/nfl","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/nfl","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/nfl"},"relegenceId":3690621,"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"NFL","slug":"nfl","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/nfl"},{"name":"Colin Kaepernick","slug":"colin-kaepernick","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/colin-kaepernick","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/colin-kaepernick","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/colin-kaepernick"},"relegenceId":3033763,"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Colin Kaepernick","slug":"colin-kaepernick","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/colin-kaepernick"},{"name":"stevie wonder","slug":"stevie-wonder","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/stevie-wonder","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/stevie-wonder","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/stevie-wonder"},"relegenceId":5793414,"url":"https://action.news/topic/stevie-wonder"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
\r\n\r\n","
\r\n\r\n","
\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

WATCH: Stevie Wonder takes a knee on the stage "for America" at #GCFest https://t.co/lXIMO8fvcT https://t.co/qE97FFQmMH

MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 24, 2017

Wonder is the latest celebrity figure to show his solidarity with Kaepernick. President Donald Trump on Friday took aim at Kaepernicks kneeling protest when he called for National Football League fans to boycott games if a player does not participate in the national anthem. He also called for NFL team owners to fire any player who protests during the games.

Trump doubled down on those attacks Saturday when he suggested on Twitter that professional athletes who have the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL or other leagues should not be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to protest.

Hours earlier on Twitter, the president rescinded NBA star Stephen Currys invitation to the White House after Curry revealed he would not be accepting it.

Trumps tweets, and his apparently new focus on black professional athletes, caused a roar of reactions from the sports world.

Commissioners for both the NBA and the NFL expressed their disappointment in Trumps rhetoric against the protesting athletes, while many team owners, coaches and players celebrated Kaepernick and the right to take a stand against racial injustice .

Before performing at the Global Citizen Festival, an annual show that encourages ticket holders to engage in philanthropy that will better the world, Wonder made a call for unity and encouraged people to stand down bigotry, condemn sexism and find love, according to Deadline .

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

It is only through life we can make life happen through ourselves and each other. Wonder said to the crowd. Our global brothers and sisters, I didnt come here to preach, but Im telling you, our spirits must be in the right place all the time.