What Stevie Wonder Gave Me Before the Election
+ November 14 event in Grand Rapids
On October 30, Stevie Wonder performed here in Grand Rapids (for the first time ever) at the Van Andel Arena for his “Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” tour. He doesn’t perform very often anymore, so I knew I had to take this chance to be in the room with one of the greatest music legends of our time.
Growing up in the nineties, pretty much the only “secular” music I was allowed to listen to was “Oldies.” One of my first CDs was an anthology of Motown hits, and I would often sing along to Wonder’s “Uptight,” one of my favorite songs, on my boombox.
So I squeezed into a stadium seat at the top of the arena, where I could afford a ticket, for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m so grateful I experienced this. Stevie Wonder started out the show with his newest song, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart,” setting the tone for the rest of the evening—a time to come together and celebrate community, art, and resistance to despair.
He sang all the classics everyone wanted, like “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” and “Superstition,” and toward the end, our temporary community of nine thousand people sang along to “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles. I was reminded yet again of the power of art, music, and love in action. All is not lost, ever.
What I will remember most are the words Stevie Wonder left us with. As a seventy-four-year-old Black man, he’s seen and experienced decades of bigotry and prejudice, both personal and systemic. And yet, he was still able to say, “Division and negativity is unacceptable… Bring some positivity, inspire people. Use the gift that God has given you for the goodness of everybody.” He has always used his skills and platform to spread love, not hate. To speak out against white supremacy and bring joy to millions of people.
At the close of the concert, Stevie Wonder said that none of us would be here without women and, “No government should have control over a woman’s body”— to thunderous applause. Here, in West Michigan, “the Bible Belt of the Midwest,” it can sometimes feel hopeless that our neighbors will ever break away from the spell of white supremacy and Christian nationalism and the MAGA movement, so when thousands of people were cheering for women’s rights, my heart lifted. There was still hope.
What a contrast to the eve of Election Day, just a few days later, when Donald Trump held a midnight rally in the same arena. Grand Rapids has been his last stop for all three of his campaigns. Many people waited in the dreary November rain to attend his last rally before the election. An estimate of more than ten thousand people came, but I wasn’t one of them.
According to the Detroit News, Trump foretold, “If we win Michigan, we win it all,” and of course he fit in time for some casual misogyny:
“During his speech, Trump took familiar hits against his political enemies, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who he hinted at describing as a gendered slur without using the term.
“‘It starts with a “b” but I won’t say it,’ Trump said, prompting a few Trump supporters inside the arena to shout the slur.”
This is mild compared to much of his rhetoric around women, not to mention how he has treated women over the decades.
So when I learned that this person, whom a judge ruled a sexual abuser, who has shown very clearly who he is, won the electoral and popular vote… devastated is a mild word. I have been sitting in grief and betrayal. A feeling that reminds me of what it’s like to tell a church or friend about the abuse you’re experiencing only for them to support your abuser, but on a national scale.
I am not surprised by the election results, but I hoped that more people would say no to having a sexual predator and racist in the highest office of the country. Instead, a majority voted for someone I can see so clearly as a narcissistic abuser.
But I have seen this before. Over and over again. In churches. In workplaces. In families. We live in a place and time where misogyny and white supremacy are normalized. And I’m not sure how to accept this reality. I want better for all of us.
My heart is with the other survivors this week who have to relive betrayal. With those who are at risk just for being who they are and showing up in the world.
Yes, we have seen this before. And we have survived before. And we know a lot more now. Let’s grieve and rage and move forward persistently for liberation of all people. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m trying to do what I can, and I hope you do too.
Stevie Wonder has given me joy throughout my life through his music, and he has also been an example to me of how to speak out against injustice and use art to both resist and heal. No matter what happens next, this is what I’m holding on to: our capacity for change and liberation. We are love and hope in action.
A Few Resources to Help Us Face Reality
Hood Politics podcast with Prop
Strongwilled Substack by Krispin and D.L. Mayfield
Abortion Everyday Substack by Jessica Valenti
Footnotes Everyday Substack by Jemar Tisby
Du Mez CONNECTIONS Substack by Kristin Du Mez
More to Hate Substack by Kate Manne
Upcoming Events
One thing I know about dark times: Community is essential. I’m looking forward to this Thursday, November 14, when I’ll be speaking with Bonnie Jo Campbell at Books & Mortar in Grand Rapids. We would love for you to join us!
I’m also planning to gather with anyone who would like to at Less Traveled across the street after the book event. This will be a time to hang out with other people and build the connections we’ll need to face whatever comes next.
Thank you, as always, for being here, and never forget: Your story matters.
— Cait
Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy is available now, wherever you get your books!
This is a beautiful, hopeful essay. Thank you so much for reminding us of beauty, hope, kindness, and sanity.