Weekend self-care open thread: Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Stevie Wonder!
Happy weekend,. friends!
The genius, the tzaddik, the supreme man, Mr. Stevland Hardaway Morris, aka Stevie Wonder, has completed another circuit around our local star.
I don't remember what album my brother had of his, but that was my first introduction to Stevie, in his fecund period in the 1970s. The head of Motown Records, Berry Gordy, Jr., grew increasingly frustrated by Stevie's artistic explorations. But a genius is not to be denied. In the 1970s, he encapsulated the struggles of Black America in a manner no other artist had heretofore.
I want to touch on a subject.
Stevie Wonder acquired Ghanaian citizenship in 2024. His reasoning for it was because he was sickened by the racism still inflicted upon Black Americans. I often cast aspersions on people who flee this country—usually rich people. But this is limited to white, straight men and women, not anyone else. The fact that a man as successful as Stevie felt he needed to do this speaks volumes as to where we are as a society. May we evolve so that other marginalized communities will not feel the need to flee the country where they were born.
On to the music!
As always, dear friends, be ever kind, gentle, and joyful with yourselves and those around you.