Stevie Wonder Plays National Anthem on Knees to Protest Racism

Stevie Wonder Plays National Anthem on Knees to Protest Racism
Stevie Wonder at a Super Bowl XL Pregame and anthem press conference Feb. 2, 2006 in Detroit. Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Chris Jasurek
Updated:

Respected musician Stevie Wonder knelt during an improvised rendition of the national anthem at a performance at the Formula One Grand Prix at Austin, Texas, on Oct. 22.

Wonder opened his set by telling the audience, “I’ve never seen the color of my skin, nor the color of your skin.” [Wonder has been blind since birth]. “Not to get political, because I don’t like to do that. It is time for the leader of this nation, the leaders in the varied political positions that they hold, the people, we as artists—all of us come together as a united people of these United States of America.

Related Topics