*Stevie Wonder shared his feelings about the state of the nation in a moving video message shared on social media.
His seven-minute announcement arrived hours after a grand jury in Kentucky indicted one police officer with first-degree wanton endangerment for the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Taylor’s family will receive a $12 million settlement as part of their wrongful death lawsuit against the city and police department, but Wonder believes “no amount of money has ever brought a life back. Ask yourself, ‘Why so long for Breonna Taylor?'” he says in the clip above. “‘Why would we accept anyone [to] call a fallen soldier anything less than an ultimate hero?'”
“And for me, good trouble is bringing our nation, this nation, back together again. And the way we do that is to vote justice in and injustice out. We just can’t put November in the hands of fate. But we can put it in our hands. The universe is still watching us. And now,” the teary-eyed singer declared, “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is watching us, too.”
READ MORE: Colin Kaepernick Says ‘White Supremacist Policing’ Must Be Abolished After Breonna Taylor Verdict
Daniel Cameron is on Donald Trump’s short list as replacement of #RGB on the Supreme Court. The same man who decided to not charge the officers responsible for killing #BreonnaTaylor. Vote.
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) September 23, 2020
Meanwhile, Kerry Washington, Ava DuVernay, Dan Levy, and more celebrities reacted to the news that none of the three officers in Taylor’s case were charged for her death.
“God bless Breonna’s family and all who knew and loved her. Her tragic death compounded by the violence of silence and inaction by the city she called home is more than any of them should have to endure,” Duvernay tweeted. The director has championed racial justice and highlighted issues in the criminal justice system through projects like Selma, 13th, and When They See Us.
“What is most insulting is that the recommended charges aren’t even in response to the MURDER of Breonna Taylor, but to the POTENTIAL injury of other people in the apartment,” “grown-ish” star Yara Shahidi wrote, adding, “‘No knock warrants’ feels analogous to the experience of being Black in America … The unsolicited intrusion of racism and violence dealt with on a daily basis.”
George Clooney issued a statement to The New York Times in response to Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron condemning celebrities for reacting to the news.
“I was born and raised in Kentucky. Cut tobacco on the farms of Kentucky. Both my parents and my sister live in Kentucky. I own a home in Kentucky, and I was there last month. The justice system I was raised to believe in holds people responsible for their actions. Her name was Breonna Taylor and she was shot to death in her bed by 3 white police officers, who will not be charged with any crime for her death. I know the community. I know the commonwealth. And I was taught in the schools and churches of Kentucky what is right and what is wrong. I’m ashamed of this decision.”
Scroll up and watch Wonder’s full empowering message via the YouTube video above.
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