Legendary musician Stevie Wonder has decided that he will no longer perform in Florida because of the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws.
Wonder made the remark in light of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Saturday.
“I decided today that until the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again,” Wonder said during a concert in Quebec City on Sunday. “As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world.
“The truth is that — for those of you who’ve lost in the battle for justice, wherever that fits in any part of the world — we can’t bring them back. What we can do is we can let our voices be heard. And we can vote in our various countries throughout the world for change and equality for everybody. That’s what I know we can do,” he added.
He probably doesn’t realize, however, that his self-imposed boycott prevents him from performing in nearly half of the United States. According to The Pew Research Center’s Stateline project, 22 states – including California, Nevada and Pennsylvania – all have some form of “Stand Your Ground” laws on the books.
According to CNN, Wonder has participated in performance boycotts before, including a protest of South Africa’s Sun City resort during the 1980s because of the country’s apartheid policies.
Listen to Wonder’s remarks below.
