“If you come to my show and the music is off…the music director must be fired,” Stevie Wonder told the Justice For Flint audience, framing how he sees what happened in the city.
He was explaining how he runs his band and made a reference to James Brown and his efficiency and order. The Motown legend appeared on stage to perform with Janelle Monáe and the two later led chants of Flint Lives Matter. But before the tunes, Wonder had a point to make.
“Flint has 100,00 people. Different song, same key. Are you feeling me,” he continued. “What I understand is, Flint government was seized by the state government. But exposing the people to poison. And, it was said, by many, that the governor ignored the man-made disaster for two years. That is what has been said. So I’m just telling you what’s been said by some in the news at various times. That’s a heartbreak. Two years of an entire city being poisoned. As I said about my music director and my musicians, if it goes down bad, that director has got to go. The governor and government should pay for everything that it needs to secure all the lives of this city.”
Watch his speech and performance below.