1 00:00:11,178 --> 00:00:14,888 [performing "Sir Duke"] 2 00:00:32,406 --> 00:00:37,996 When I think of music, I think of it being one of the greatest forces that we have 3 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,380 to encourage and motivate people to the positive. 4 00:00:42,376 --> 00:00:43,376 Dear Stevie... 5 00:00:43,460 --> 00:00:45,550 -Dear Stevie... -Dear Stevie... 6 00:00:45,629 --> 00:00:46,629 Dear Stevie, 7 00:00:46,713 --> 00:00:50,593 Your music has guided me through the most difficult moments of my life. 8 00:00:51,426 --> 00:00:55,306 [Stevie] Songs inspire people to be their better self. 9 00:00:56,557 --> 00:00:59,017 You sang about love and equality. 10 00:00:59,101 --> 00:01:03,271 Your music empowered me to speak out on behalf of all people with disabilities. 11 00:01:03,897 --> 00:01:05,267 [man] Through your lyrics and music, 12 00:01:05,357 --> 00:01:08,107 you shined a light on the history of racial inequality. 13 00:01:08,569 --> 00:01:10,609 You filled me with hope and possibility. 14 00:01:11,154 --> 00:01:16,744 I'm always very thankful that I can use my voice to inspire and motivate. 15 00:01:20,455 --> 00:01:23,705 To encourage action through words and song, 16 00:01:23,792 --> 00:01:27,132 to me, is-is one of the most incredible things that can happen. 17 00:01:27,212 --> 00:01:28,592 -[woman] Dear Stevie... -Dear Stevie... 18 00:01:28,672 --> 00:01:31,092 - [woman 2] Dear Stevie... - [man 2] Dear Stevie... 19 00:01:31,175 --> 00:01:32,755 [voices continue] 20 00:01:52,196 --> 00:01:55,736 [performing piano instrumental] 21 00:01:58,785 --> 00:02:01,785 [Stevie] When we talk about songs that have been used 22 00:02:01,872 --> 00:02:04,462 to motivate people, to inspire, 23 00:02:04,541 --> 00:02:07,131 those songs are very, very important. 24 00:02:16,762 --> 00:02:23,352 To write those songs, you have to have that emotion in your heart that says, 25 00:02:23,435 --> 00:02:25,725 "This is real. This is what I feel." 26 00:02:26,396 --> 00:02:28,016 You have to believe it. 27 00:02:31,318 --> 00:02:35,108 My becoming blind after my birth, I can't remember. 28 00:02:35,197 --> 00:02:39,447 I was so, so, so very little, only days old. 29 00:02:40,619 --> 00:02:46,879 There are times that I sometimes think I may have seen my mother's complexion. 30 00:02:47,709 --> 00:02:52,379 It could be my imagination, but whatever I did see was beautiful. 31 00:02:52,881 --> 00:02:55,381 And it's always been my image of her in my mind. 32 00:02:59,888 --> 00:03:02,428 I grew up in the Brewster Projects. 33 00:03:03,559 --> 00:03:05,099 We were very poor. 34 00:03:05,477 --> 00:03:07,767 That's a challenge for anyone. 35 00:03:07,855 --> 00:03:10,395 But me being blind, 36 00:03:10,482 --> 00:03:15,152 the hard lesson for me to learn was, you can't climb a tree like everyone else. 37 00:03:15,237 --> 00:03:16,987 'Cause I'd try to anyway. 38 00:03:17,072 --> 00:03:19,242 You can't run across the street like everybody else, 39 00:03:19,324 --> 00:03:21,414 because you can't see the car coming. 40 00:03:22,411 --> 00:03:26,671 So, I challenged myself to do as much as possible. I didn't give up. 41 00:03:29,126 --> 00:03:33,336 I was given a pair of bongos when I was, I think, eight or nine years old. 42 00:03:33,964 --> 00:03:36,884 Then I was like, challenged to learn how to play the drums. 43 00:03:36,967 --> 00:03:40,677 I wanted to understand what that meant. How did it make that sound? 44 00:03:40,762 --> 00:03:44,522 How did the piano do what it did? How did the guitar do what it did? 45 00:03:46,310 --> 00:03:49,650 I knew that's what I wanted to do: music. 46 00:03:51,565 --> 00:03:55,855 This one particular day, I was in the alley with my friends. 47 00:03:55,944 --> 00:03:58,954 You know, cursin', and bein' bad and talkin' stuff. 48 00:03:59,031 --> 00:04:00,701 Snappin', you know. 49 00:04:01,617 --> 00:04:03,237 I said to my friends, 50 00:04:03,327 --> 00:04:07,707 "Walk me across the street to where that music is coming from, 51 00:04:07,789 --> 00:04:09,329 I'll give you a quarter." 52 00:04:09,917 --> 00:04:12,957 I brought my bongos, and we were on the front porch playing. 53 00:04:13,587 --> 00:04:15,797 There was a man who came up and said, 54 00:04:15,881 --> 00:04:18,721 "Hey, you know, boy, you got such a beautiful voice." 55 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:20,340 That's how it all started. 56 00:04:20,427 --> 00:04:21,967 [male interviewer] How were you introduced to Motown? 57 00:04:22,053 --> 00:04:23,723 I was introduced or... 58 00:04:24,389 --> 00:04:25,969 discovered by Ronnie White, 59 00:04:26,058 --> 00:04:28,518 who was one of the background singers on the Miracles. 60 00:04:28,602 --> 00:04:31,232 [Stevie] Ronnie worked it out for me to go to Motown 61 00:04:31,313 --> 00:04:33,693 to then meet Smokey Robinson. 62 00:04:33,774 --> 00:04:36,614 And I could not believe it. It was like, "What?" 63 00:04:37,069 --> 00:04:41,239 ♪ So take a good look at my face ♪ 64 00:04:41,323 --> 00:04:43,993 Motown managed Jackie Wilson and... 65 00:04:44,076 --> 00:04:45,946 [singing "Lonely Teardrops"] 66 00:04:46,036 --> 00:04:48,156 the Supremes, and all the different artists. 67 00:04:48,247 --> 00:04:50,617 -♪ Baby, don't leave me ♪ -♪ Oh ♪ 68 00:04:52,334 --> 00:04:56,264 I remember Diana's squeaky voice, and I wanted to meet her. 69 00:04:56,338 --> 00:05:00,298 I had a crush on her, and I was 11 years old. 70 00:05:00,384 --> 00:05:01,394 So there you go. 71 00:05:02,261 --> 00:05:05,101 I understood, "This is the opportunity." 72 00:05:05,180 --> 00:05:10,350 A way to make life better for my mother, my family members. 73 00:05:10,435 --> 00:05:12,305 I wanted to be a part of it. 74 00:05:13,730 --> 00:05:17,570 When I was, like, 13, I had my first number one song, "Fingertips." 75 00:05:18,151 --> 00:05:22,241 I remember getting the Billboard Award from Joanne Woodward. 76 00:05:22,322 --> 00:05:24,072 It was in braille. 77 00:05:24,157 --> 00:05:26,327 It was amazing. I mean, it was amazing. 78 00:05:26,410 --> 00:05:28,540 [singing "Fingertips"] 79 00:05:36,837 --> 00:05:40,257 The whole nation, not just African American people, 80 00:05:40,340 --> 00:05:42,010 embraced me incredibly well. 81 00:05:44,386 --> 00:05:48,676 Have I heard people in my life say, "You can't do this and you can't do that"? 82 00:05:48,765 --> 00:05:51,345 I've heard people say that. I've heard stuff like that. 83 00:05:54,730 --> 00:05:55,980 [song ends] 84 00:05:56,064 --> 00:05:57,944 Hey, let's give him a great big hand. 85 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:04,490 But, you know, I never felt I was defeated because of being blind. 86 00:06:04,573 --> 00:06:05,953 I never felt that way. 87 00:06:06,033 --> 00:06:07,913 You have to make a choice. 88 00:06:07,993 --> 00:06:12,043 Do you live only up to that point and then give up? 89 00:06:12,372 --> 00:06:13,792 For me, I say no. 90 00:06:14,750 --> 00:06:19,710 I can't let me being blind determine what I can't do, 91 00:06:19,796 --> 00:06:24,006 because I'm too determined to get beyond that. 92 00:06:28,639 --> 00:06:29,809 [woman] Dear Stevie, 93 00:06:29,890 --> 00:06:32,100 I've been a fan of your music since I was a kid. 94 00:06:32,184 --> 00:06:34,654 But it wasn't until I was preparing for university 95 00:06:34,728 --> 00:06:36,858 that your music truly changed my life. 96 00:06:37,481 --> 00:06:39,441 I had dreams of going to medical school 97 00:06:39,525 --> 00:06:42,485 so that I could make a positive difference in people's lives. 98 00:06:43,529 --> 00:06:45,699 But one night I went to bed, 99 00:06:45,781 --> 00:06:48,701 and I woke up the next morning to complete darkness. 100 00:06:50,953 --> 00:06:53,503 As I opened my eyes, I panicked. 101 00:06:54,081 --> 00:06:57,251 All I could see was this deep, thick blackness. 102 00:06:58,585 --> 00:07:01,205 I had gone completely blind overnight. 103 00:07:02,422 --> 00:07:06,432 It was the scariest, most traumatic experience of my life. 104 00:07:09,388 --> 00:07:12,638 I was diagnosed with a condition called diabetic retinopathy. 105 00:07:13,475 --> 00:07:16,685 [Stevie] "And that's when my world shattered." 106 00:07:16,770 --> 00:07:19,520 I spent the next year in a deep depression. 107 00:07:19,606 --> 00:07:21,066 Before my diagnosis, 108 00:07:21,149 --> 00:07:24,609 I had been a straight A student who couldn't wait to go to college. 109 00:07:25,404 --> 00:07:30,124 But once I became blind, I was convinced my life was over. 110 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,910 Suicide became a very real thought. 111 00:07:35,497 --> 00:07:38,127 That's when a friend saw the pain I was going through. 112 00:07:38,667 --> 00:07:40,877 He knew I was losing hope. 113 00:07:41,545 --> 00:07:45,505 He handed me your album and told me, "This is not the end of your story. 114 00:07:45,591 --> 00:07:46,931 This is just the beginning." 115 00:07:47,676 --> 00:07:50,346 ["Jesus Children of America" playing] 116 00:07:56,727 --> 00:08:01,017 I went home and listened to your music over and over again, obsessively. 117 00:08:01,106 --> 00:08:04,856 After everything I'd gone through, your music took on a whole new meaning. 118 00:08:04,943 --> 00:08:09,493 [Stevie] "It was as if I was being introduced to a new friend." 119 00:08:09,573 --> 00:08:11,583 [song continues] 120 00:08:13,452 --> 00:08:15,952 You filled me with hope and possibility, 121 00:08:16,038 --> 00:08:18,538 which I hadn't felt since I'd lost my sight. 122 00:08:18,957 --> 00:08:21,457 That helped me reconnect with the world around me. 123 00:08:26,215 --> 00:08:28,335 Once I became comfortable with my vision impairment, 124 00:08:28,425 --> 00:08:30,545 I was no longer beaten down. 125 00:08:30,636 --> 00:08:33,386 I began thinking about all the things I could do. 126 00:08:34,264 --> 00:08:36,854 Over time, some of my vision returned. 127 00:08:36,933 --> 00:08:38,603 While I'm still legally blind, 128 00:08:38,684 --> 00:08:41,194 I went to school and graduated from college. 129 00:08:41,270 --> 00:08:43,650 Then I earned my master's degree in social work. 130 00:08:44,816 --> 00:08:46,526 I now work as a college counselor. 131 00:08:46,610 --> 00:08:48,360 Each day, I help students 132 00:08:48,445 --> 00:08:51,105 who have gone through difficult circumstances like I have 133 00:08:51,198 --> 00:08:53,618 and support them as they find their way forward, 134 00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:55,410 just as you did for me. 135 00:08:56,453 --> 00:08:59,253 I share my story with my students all the time. 136 00:08:59,331 --> 00:09:02,171 I tell them how when I felt completely lost, 137 00:09:02,251 --> 00:09:03,961 you helped me find my inner strength... 138 00:09:04,044 --> 00:09:06,764 [Stevie] "So that I could be me again." 139 00:09:08,257 --> 00:09:10,127 What a wonderful thing. 140 00:09:10,217 --> 00:09:13,847 We're all trying to take the world to a better, higher place. 141 00:09:16,223 --> 00:09:20,733 When I first came to Motown, we were playing various places, 142 00:09:20,811 --> 00:09:23,021 performing around the country. 143 00:09:23,105 --> 00:09:27,225 Being so young, there were lots of things I didn't understand. 144 00:09:29,111 --> 00:09:30,701 One particular night, 145 00:09:30,779 --> 00:09:33,869 we're at this civic center kind of place in Macon, Georgia. 146 00:09:33,949 --> 00:09:36,739 I remember being onstage. 147 00:09:36,827 --> 00:09:37,827 And I hear this, like-- 148 00:09:37,911 --> 00:09:39,961 [imitates whooshing] 149 00:09:41,123 --> 00:09:43,463 Right? This fan, right? 150 00:09:44,459 --> 00:09:48,589 The fan, actually, I come to find out, was a Confederate flag. 151 00:09:50,299 --> 00:09:52,629 Our black manager told the emcee, 152 00:09:52,718 --> 00:09:57,718 "We can't have the flag, you know, flying on the stage when we're onstage. 153 00:09:57,806 --> 00:10:00,636 This is Motown, the sound of young America. 154 00:10:00,726 --> 00:10:02,766 The Supremes, Little Stevie." 155 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,270 The guy says, like, "You see the way that flag's blowin' in the breeze? 156 00:10:07,774 --> 00:10:09,784 If you-all don't get your ass on the stage, 157 00:10:09,860 --> 00:10:11,610 you're gonna be blowin' in the breeze like that." 158 00:10:14,114 --> 00:10:15,994 It was just painful for me. 159 00:10:16,742 --> 00:10:17,782 I was sort of nervous, 160 00:10:17,868 --> 00:10:20,038 because I didn't know what this whole thing was about. 161 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,920 [crowd chanting] 162 00:10:22,998 --> 00:10:27,588 I didn't understand how some people can be so hung up with hate. 163 00:10:27,669 --> 00:10:29,959 [chanting continues] 164 00:10:31,590 --> 00:10:34,590 -[siren blaring] -[flames crackling] 165 00:10:37,179 --> 00:10:40,519 The uprising in Detroit happened, '67. 166 00:10:40,599 --> 00:10:43,229 It all began in the early hours of Sunday. 167 00:10:43,894 --> 00:10:46,234 Police raided an after-hours drinking establishment. 168 00:10:46,897 --> 00:10:49,777 A group of curious bystanders congregated. 169 00:10:49,858 --> 00:10:52,438 Their curiosity turned to hostility. 170 00:10:52,528 --> 00:10:54,908 - Empty bottles began flying. - [glass shatters] 171 00:10:54,988 --> 00:10:57,948 [siren blaring in distance] 172 00:10:58,700 --> 00:11:00,910 By daylight, the rioting started. 173 00:11:06,834 --> 00:11:09,134 [male reporter] Forty-three Americans died in these streets. 174 00:11:09,878 --> 00:11:13,168 Four hundred seventy-seven buildings were damaged or destroyed. 175 00:11:17,344 --> 00:11:20,104 It exploded because the black people were angry. 176 00:11:20,180 --> 00:11:23,850 It all started based on prejudices 177 00:11:23,934 --> 00:11:27,604 and unnecessary brutality by the policemen. 178 00:11:29,439 --> 00:11:32,029 When it's just too much, things have to pop, 179 00:11:32,109 --> 00:11:33,529 and that's what happened. 180 00:11:37,030 --> 00:11:39,070 I was performing in Baltimore. 181 00:11:39,157 --> 00:11:42,077 I came home the next day, and it was crazy. 182 00:11:45,414 --> 00:11:48,794 You had all these armored trucks going through the streets, 183 00:11:48,876 --> 00:11:52,796 and no one was allowed to be on the street after a certain hour. 184 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:56,930 I had a lot of emotions bottled up inside. 185 00:11:57,009 --> 00:12:00,139 I felt so many of these prejudices had been going on. 186 00:12:00,220 --> 00:12:02,180 It was, "Enough is enough. It's gotta stop." 187 00:12:03,390 --> 00:12:08,350 After that, I started working on songs that had some political significance. 188 00:12:09,313 --> 00:12:11,733 I just saw it as being the right thing to do. 189 00:12:12,399 --> 00:12:15,569 [singing "Living for the City"] 190 00:12:37,508 --> 00:12:38,758 "Living For the City," 191 00:12:38,842 --> 00:12:42,512 it's about this boy caught up in an unjust system. 192 00:12:42,596 --> 00:12:44,886 [singing continues] 193 00:12:58,403 --> 00:13:01,783 America has never confronted the issue of race. 194 00:13:02,741 --> 00:13:07,001 We can't allow this thing called hate to continue to be out of control. 195 00:13:08,372 --> 00:13:11,672 If you have the ability to do something about it, 196 00:13:11,750 --> 00:13:13,250 then do something about it. 197 00:13:16,797 --> 00:13:18,377 [man] Dear Stevie, 198 00:13:18,465 --> 00:13:21,215 As a child I struggled with the humiliation and indignation 199 00:13:21,301 --> 00:13:24,681 of being excluded, disfavored, just because of my race. 200 00:13:25,430 --> 00:13:29,060 My elementary school was integrated when I was in second grade. 201 00:13:29,142 --> 00:13:32,652 But I and the other black children were placed in remedial classes, 202 00:13:32,729 --> 00:13:36,609 while the white kids were automatically put in the accelerated classes. 203 00:13:37,234 --> 00:13:39,494 I remember feeling humiliated. 204 00:13:39,945 --> 00:13:42,775 I often asked, "Why aren't people treated equally?" 205 00:13:43,365 --> 00:13:46,405 But I got no answers from school or in church. 206 00:13:46,493 --> 00:13:48,833 I found them in your music. 207 00:13:48,912 --> 00:13:52,502 To me, it seemed like you were asking the same question. 208 00:13:53,584 --> 00:13:56,174 ["Jesus Children of America" playing] 209 00:13:59,214 --> 00:14:02,434 I learned more about black history and the central truths about human rights 210 00:14:02,509 --> 00:14:05,429 from your music than any place I can remember in school. 211 00:14:06,054 --> 00:14:09,064 [singing "Higher Ground"] 212 00:14:18,025 --> 00:14:20,395 Your words spoke truths about injustices 213 00:14:20,485 --> 00:14:23,105 that we all must fight to overcome in this country. 214 00:14:23,739 --> 00:14:26,329 I wanted to confront those injustices head-on. 215 00:14:26,408 --> 00:14:28,828 So I worked hard, and I went to law school. 216 00:14:29,286 --> 00:14:32,366 [Stevie] "I wanted to get to higher ground." 217 00:14:32,456 --> 00:14:34,626 [singing continues] 218 00:14:38,462 --> 00:14:39,672 [song ends] 219 00:14:41,006 --> 00:14:43,836 I wanted to represent the oppressed, the voiceless, 220 00:14:43,926 --> 00:14:46,086 the most vulnerable people in our society. 221 00:14:46,178 --> 00:14:50,388 So I opened a nonprofit law office dedicated to representing people 222 00:14:50,474 --> 00:14:53,444 wrongly convicted by our criminal justice system. 223 00:14:54,061 --> 00:14:56,061 [male reporter] Walter McMillian walked out of Holman Prison 224 00:14:56,146 --> 00:14:58,686 after a harrowing six years on death row. 225 00:14:59,358 --> 00:15:02,238 He had been convicted of shooting an 18-year-old woman to death, 226 00:15:02,319 --> 00:15:06,159 despite a dozen witnesses placing McMillian elsewhere at the time. 227 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:07,740 There's no physical evidence. 228 00:15:07,824 --> 00:15:10,704 There's no corroborating circumstances, there's nothing. 229 00:15:11,328 --> 00:15:14,208 [reporter] Some people believe the death penalty was racially motivated. 230 00:15:15,082 --> 00:15:18,712 Sometimes you have to stand up, even when others sit down. 231 00:15:18,794 --> 00:15:22,424 That conviction helped me create the Equal Justice Initiative 232 00:15:22,506 --> 00:15:26,176 which has now won relief for over 140 people wrongly convicted 233 00:15:26,260 --> 00:15:28,720 or unfairly sentenced on death row. 234 00:15:29,638 --> 00:15:33,428 I stand with the condemned, the accused, the convicted. 235 00:15:34,101 --> 00:15:37,901 [Stevie] "The work is difficult, but your music has reminded me 236 00:15:37,980 --> 00:15:40,020 that justice is a constant struggle." 237 00:15:40,107 --> 00:15:44,697 And love has the power to overcome bigotry and hate. 238 00:15:45,612 --> 00:15:48,322 [woman] Oh! I love you so much. 239 00:15:48,407 --> 00:15:50,487 [man] This is a very happy day. 240 00:15:50,576 --> 00:15:55,616 It's a tragic day too, because Mr. Hinton spent 30 years locked in a 5-by-8 cell, 241 00:15:55,706 --> 00:15:57,916 where the State of Alabama tried to kill him every day. 242 00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:03,710 [Stevie] "You've inspired me to believe we can do great things." 243 00:16:03,797 --> 00:16:06,217 Justice work requires a soundtrack. 244 00:16:06,300 --> 00:16:10,430 No one has provided the voice, the expression, the beauty 245 00:16:10,512 --> 00:16:13,972 to motivate us to protect human rights more than you. 246 00:16:14,433 --> 00:16:16,893 ["Jesus Children of America" playing] 247 00:16:16,977 --> 00:16:19,477 That inspires me to want to write more songs, 248 00:16:19,980 --> 00:16:23,690 to play more instruments, to play them better, you know. 249 00:16:23,775 --> 00:16:24,775 To continue. 250 00:16:28,572 --> 00:16:32,872 It's obvious that for a while you'd been loosening your ties with Motown. 251 00:16:32,951 --> 00:16:35,411 Did they control what songs were put on albums, 252 00:16:35,495 --> 00:16:37,245 what songs were made into singles? 253 00:16:37,331 --> 00:16:41,501 They did. I think the problem with Motown basically was that 254 00:16:41,585 --> 00:16:43,835 they considered me almost like a child. 255 00:16:43,921 --> 00:16:47,051 And I want the freedom, the freedom to grow. 256 00:16:47,591 --> 00:16:53,601 When I was 21, I wanted to become more independent 257 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:59,390 to have the control that I needed to do the music that I felt was in me. 258 00:17:00,312 --> 00:17:05,072 So I officially left Motown, and I went to New York. 259 00:17:07,486 --> 00:17:10,696 I wanted to meet Bob Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, 260 00:17:10,781 --> 00:17:14,831 because Bob and Malcolm had synthesizers. 261 00:17:15,452 --> 00:17:18,002 And I was curious about how I could use them 262 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:21,419 for creating the kind of music that I wanted to do. 263 00:17:22,542 --> 00:17:24,922 The sound felt very unique to me. 264 00:17:25,671 --> 00:17:28,261 It was like, "Aw, man, this is magical." 265 00:17:28,339 --> 00:17:29,719 [plays notes on synthesizer] 266 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:32,390 - That's a new instrument for you then. -Yes. 267 00:17:32,469 --> 00:17:34,969 It has what are known as oscillators. 268 00:17:35,055 --> 00:17:36,965 And with these four knobs here, 269 00:17:37,057 --> 00:17:39,637 you can change the whole shape of a sound. 270 00:17:40,060 --> 00:17:42,560 [playing notes on synthesizer] 271 00:17:44,857 --> 00:17:47,357 [frequency shifting] 272 00:17:49,194 --> 00:17:50,994 [applause] 273 00:17:51,071 --> 00:17:53,071 I was able to work with the oscillator 274 00:17:53,156 --> 00:17:55,776 to create the kind of bass sound that I wanted to get. 275 00:17:56,535 --> 00:17:59,115 To get the sort of horn sound that I wanted to get. 276 00:17:59,204 --> 00:18:01,714 And you can do so many beautiful things with it. 277 00:18:01,790 --> 00:18:03,710 Make sounds that are bigger than life. 278 00:18:03,792 --> 00:18:06,172 I was so inspired to write. 279 00:18:06,837 --> 00:18:12,587 I went to Electric Lady Studio, which was Jimi Hendrix's studio, 280 00:18:12,676 --> 00:18:14,176 and recorded music there. 281 00:18:14,261 --> 00:18:17,261 ["Living for the City" playing] 282 00:18:18,974 --> 00:18:23,654 I could record track after track, put the drums down, put the keyboard down. 283 00:18:24,313 --> 00:18:25,983 I couldn't play the acoustic bass, 284 00:18:26,064 --> 00:18:30,904 but I could create a sound similar to the acoustic bass. 285 00:18:30,986 --> 00:18:34,026 You know, all of a sudden, everything was accessible. 286 00:18:34,907 --> 00:18:38,657 I did so much recording. I must have done about 40 songs. 287 00:18:38,744 --> 00:18:41,214 [performing "Superstition"] 288 00:18:43,373 --> 00:18:47,253 And out of that time came Music of My Mind... 289 00:18:48,754 --> 00:18:49,884 Talking Book... 290 00:18:51,256 --> 00:18:53,216 Innervisions, 291 00:18:53,300 --> 00:18:55,180 Fulfillingness' First Finale. 292 00:18:56,178 --> 00:18:57,928 We then did Songs in the Key of Life. 293 00:18:58,013 --> 00:19:00,433 [singing "Superstition"] 294 00:19:09,900 --> 00:19:14,570 That short period of time really did further my music career. 295 00:19:14,655 --> 00:19:17,155 And the winner is "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," 296 00:19:17,241 --> 00:19:19,331 - Stevie Wonder. - Stevie Wonder for Innervisions. 297 00:19:19,409 --> 00:19:21,159 [together] Stevie Wonder! 298 00:19:21,245 --> 00:19:22,865 This man is, without a doubt, 299 00:19:22,955 --> 00:19:25,785 the most influential rock star of the decade. 300 00:19:25,874 --> 00:19:28,884 He sold a million records as "Little" Stevie Wonder. 301 00:19:28,961 --> 00:19:31,631 He couldn't be bigger now, or better. 302 00:19:31,713 --> 00:19:33,383 [Stevie] I was able to show people that, 303 00:19:33,465 --> 00:19:37,715 hey, maybe you're blind or you may have a disability, 304 00:19:37,803 --> 00:19:43,483 and you using your body in ways that one could have never imagined, 305 00:19:43,559 --> 00:19:48,149 sometimes even better than those who have all of their senses, 306 00:19:48,230 --> 00:19:54,860 it goes to show that maybe your purpose is in that very thing. 307 00:19:57,781 --> 00:19:59,241 [man 2] Dear Stevie, 308 00:19:59,324 --> 00:20:02,544 As a kid growing up, I loved making music with my friends. 309 00:20:04,246 --> 00:20:07,206 When I got older, I got caught up in the streets. 310 00:20:07,833 --> 00:20:09,633 One day, my cousin brought home a gun. 311 00:20:09,710 --> 00:20:13,260 The gun went off by accident, and the bullet struck my neck. 312 00:20:14,256 --> 00:20:15,796 I was only 17. 313 00:20:17,342 --> 00:20:20,352 In the hospital, doctors told me I was paralyzed 314 00:20:20,429 --> 00:20:22,059 and would never walk again. 315 00:20:22,139 --> 00:20:25,139 I was deeply depressed and felt trapped in my own body. 316 00:20:25,976 --> 00:20:29,016 [Stevie] "Adjusting to my new life seemed impossible." 317 00:20:29,104 --> 00:20:31,904 [man 2] I thought no one would listen to a rapper in a wheelchair. 318 00:20:32,816 --> 00:20:35,646 Pretty soon, I found out it was even harder than that. 319 00:20:36,945 --> 00:20:41,865 The high-rise walk-ups, curbs and buildings without elevators boxed me in. 320 00:20:41,950 --> 00:20:45,540 It was hard to do certain everyday things that people take for granted, 321 00:20:45,621 --> 00:20:47,831 like riding the subway. 322 00:20:47,915 --> 00:20:50,495 So much of the city was shut off to me. 323 00:20:51,001 --> 00:20:53,921 [Stevie] "I struggled a lot after my injuries. 324 00:20:54,004 --> 00:20:56,474 I looked to you for inspiration." 325 00:20:56,548 --> 00:21:00,138 Stevie, you know what it's like to face adversity and conquer it. 326 00:21:00,219 --> 00:21:02,599 [performing "Sir Duke"] 327 00:21:03,555 --> 00:21:06,055 [singing] 328 00:21:07,226 --> 00:21:09,976 [man 2] After my accident, when I saw you perform, 329 00:21:10,062 --> 00:21:12,612 that helped me realize just how much I could still do 330 00:21:12,689 --> 00:21:14,149 and how much I had to say. 331 00:21:14,233 --> 00:21:16,283 ["Sir Duke" continues] 332 00:21:17,945 --> 00:21:21,565 My friend Rick and I formed a rap group called 4 Wheel City, 333 00:21:21,657 --> 00:21:24,867 and on the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 334 00:21:24,952 --> 00:21:28,542 we wrote a song called "The Movement" about how we need universal access 335 00:21:28,622 --> 00:21:31,712 so that we have the same opportunities as everyone else. 336 00:21:31,792 --> 00:21:34,672 - ♪ Bullies in accessible stores ♪ -♪ 4 wheel city ♪ 337 00:21:34,753 --> 00:21:37,343 - ♪ Yeah, you don't want us here ♪ -♪ 4 wheel city ♪ 338 00:21:37,422 --> 00:21:39,302 The first time we performed the song, 339 00:21:39,383 --> 00:21:42,553 it was in front of an audience at the National Spinal Cord Association. 340 00:21:43,053 --> 00:21:45,933 ♪ I've got something on my chest That's been bothering me ♪ 341 00:21:46,014 --> 00:21:48,644 ♪ What the problem will be When I'm out in the street ♪ 342 00:21:48,725 --> 00:21:52,055 ♪ It's like I can't go over here What's wrong with me? ♪ 343 00:21:52,145 --> 00:21:53,355 It was empowering. 344 00:21:53,438 --> 00:21:57,028 We played more local shows and spread the word about universal access 345 00:21:57,109 --> 00:21:58,609 and the dangers of gun violence. 346 00:21:58,694 --> 00:22:01,414 ♪ But the truth is I can't walk up the stairs ♪ 347 00:22:01,488 --> 00:22:04,318 ♪ So I need a ramp and an elevator too ♪ 348 00:22:08,620 --> 00:22:11,500 Like you, I write about real issues that affect our community, 349 00:22:11,582 --> 00:22:14,042 and I speak about things I want to change. 350 00:22:14,126 --> 00:22:17,956 [Stevie] "You showed me that no matter my circumstances, 351 00:22:18,046 --> 00:22:20,666 I could make a difference through my music." 352 00:22:20,757 --> 00:22:22,797 [applause] 353 00:22:28,557 --> 00:22:30,927 South Africa's white minority government today declared 354 00:22:31,018 --> 00:22:34,478 a sweeping state of emergency that gives police unlimited powers. 355 00:22:36,940 --> 00:22:39,440 [male reporter] As the children rioted, they were ambushed. 356 00:22:41,904 --> 00:22:45,824 The struggle for people who were under this cruel regime 357 00:22:45,908 --> 00:22:49,788 of South Africa's apartheid was unacceptable. 358 00:22:50,579 --> 00:22:54,329 [female reporter] Nelson Mandela will spend his 70th birthday behind bars, 359 00:22:54,416 --> 00:22:56,626 silenced by the South African authorities. 360 00:22:56,710 --> 00:22:59,550 His name is a potent symbol of resistance and hope. 361 00:23:01,757 --> 00:23:06,717 I was committed to doing whatever I could do to be a part of that voice. 362 00:23:06,803 --> 00:23:09,393 [singing "It's Wrong (Apartheid)"] 363 00:23:11,225 --> 00:23:16,145 I was seeing that history too much was repeating itself to the negative. 364 00:23:16,230 --> 00:23:18,480 So I wrote about it. 365 00:23:18,565 --> 00:23:20,645 [singing continues] 366 00:23:21,610 --> 00:23:23,030 It was a movement. 367 00:23:23,111 --> 00:23:25,111 [chanting] Free South Africa! 368 00:23:25,197 --> 00:23:28,197 [Stevie] There were people everywhere going around saying, 369 00:23:28,283 --> 00:23:32,123 "Hey. This-This cannot be. This has to change." 370 00:23:32,829 --> 00:23:35,749 [male reporter] The demonstrations in the capital began last November, 371 00:23:35,832 --> 00:23:37,752 outside the South African Embassy. 372 00:23:38,585 --> 00:23:41,545 I can't just sing about it. We're gonna be about it. 373 00:23:41,630 --> 00:23:43,880 We're gonna demand that these things stop. 374 00:23:44,424 --> 00:23:47,684 And so I had no problem with being arrested 375 00:23:47,761 --> 00:23:50,971 outside the South African Embassy in Washington. 376 00:23:52,516 --> 00:23:55,806 Americans have to speak against oppression. 377 00:23:56,562 --> 00:23:58,362 Hate will not prevail. 378 00:24:00,732 --> 00:24:04,282 That same year, my song "I Just Called to Say I Love You" 379 00:24:04,361 --> 00:24:06,071 was up for an Oscar. 380 00:24:06,154 --> 00:24:07,614 -[applause] -[man] And the winner is... 381 00:24:09,199 --> 00:24:10,869 -Stevie Wonder! -[cheers, applause] 382 00:24:19,793 --> 00:24:24,593 I would like to accept this award in the name of Nelson Mandela. 383 00:24:26,175 --> 00:24:29,715 And thank my family and my crew from my heart. 384 00:24:31,388 --> 00:24:32,638 I love you. 385 00:24:33,265 --> 00:24:40,185 When I said, "I accept this Oscar in honor of Nelson Mandela," 386 00:24:40,272 --> 00:24:42,572 my music was banned in South Africa. 387 00:24:45,152 --> 00:24:47,202 Good. You know, ban me. 388 00:24:47,279 --> 00:24:50,659 Because I wanted the people of South Africa to know 389 00:24:50,741 --> 00:24:53,331 that I was fighting with them, 390 00:24:53,952 --> 00:24:58,422 which hopefully will inspire other people to speak against oppression. 391 00:24:58,498 --> 00:25:00,168 Then reach out to others, 392 00:25:00,250 --> 00:25:03,800 bring more and more people in for the goodness of all. 393 00:25:10,093 --> 00:25:11,353 [woman 2] Dear Stevie, 394 00:25:11,428 --> 00:25:15,138 My name is Nomsa. My whole life, I longed to be free. 395 00:25:15,557 --> 00:25:19,517 I was born and raised in Soweto, during the height of apartheid. 396 00:25:20,354 --> 00:25:22,564 Growing up under this oppressive government... 397 00:25:22,648 --> 00:25:26,148 [Stevie] "We lived in constant fear." 398 00:25:26,235 --> 00:25:29,735 Many people in my township disappeared under mysterious circumstances, 399 00:25:29,821 --> 00:25:31,701 never to return home. 400 00:25:33,116 --> 00:25:35,656 It was illegal for more than ten black South Africans 401 00:25:35,744 --> 00:25:38,294 to gather in one place at any time. 402 00:25:38,372 --> 00:25:39,922 In defiance of the law, 403 00:25:39,998 --> 00:25:43,288 my father opened up an underground speakeasy at our house, 404 00:25:43,377 --> 00:25:47,917 where black South Africans would meet to share ideas and inspire each other. 405 00:25:49,049 --> 00:25:53,509 It was dangerous, but the brief sense of freedom it provided was worth the risk. 406 00:25:54,429 --> 00:25:57,889 It was during these meetings when my father would play your music. 407 00:25:57,975 --> 00:26:01,015 ["It's Wrong (Apartheid)" playing] 408 00:26:03,438 --> 00:26:06,068 Our community rallied behind your songs. 409 00:26:06,650 --> 00:26:10,150 [Stevie] "You inspired all of us to stand up for what is right." 410 00:26:10,237 --> 00:26:12,777 [song continues] 411 00:26:12,865 --> 00:26:16,365 One day, the door burst open and the police raided our home. 412 00:26:16,451 --> 00:26:18,581 -[shouting, screaming] -[glass shatters] 413 00:26:23,458 --> 00:26:26,458 That night, they took my father away. 414 00:26:26,545 --> 00:26:31,375 I feared I would never see him again, that he would disappear like the others. 415 00:26:34,928 --> 00:26:37,848 A week went by without knowing his fate. 416 00:26:37,931 --> 00:26:40,641 Finally, he made it back home. 417 00:26:40,726 --> 00:26:43,186 But it took him a long time to recover. 418 00:26:44,646 --> 00:26:46,266 Those years were difficult. 419 00:26:46,815 --> 00:26:50,565 I dreamed about coming to America in search of a better life. 420 00:26:51,445 --> 00:26:55,115 One day, I heard rumors I could make it to America via Switzerland. 421 00:26:55,199 --> 00:26:59,409 So I quickly boarded a plane and found my way out of South Africa. 422 00:27:00,370 --> 00:27:02,370 But when I arrived in Switzerland, 423 00:27:02,456 --> 00:27:05,206 the officials told me I couldn't travel to America, 424 00:27:05,292 --> 00:27:07,752 and I was forced to go back to South Africa. 425 00:27:07,836 --> 00:27:11,586 I was devastated. I thought I could never escape apartheid. 426 00:27:13,008 --> 00:27:16,548 The flight back was the loneliest I'd ever felt in my life. 427 00:27:16,637 --> 00:27:19,137 I put my headphones on to escape the pain. 428 00:27:20,807 --> 00:27:25,187 As I sat there, hopeless, a beautiful, familiar voice filled my headphones. 429 00:27:25,270 --> 00:27:28,270 ["Jesus Children of America" playing] 430 00:27:31,944 --> 00:27:36,914 [Stevie] "It was like you were right there with me, telling me it would be okay." 431 00:27:38,116 --> 00:27:42,036 [Nomsa] I promised myself I wouldn't give up until I realized my dream. 432 00:27:43,747 --> 00:27:46,957 After years of denials trying to get my visa, 433 00:27:47,042 --> 00:27:51,002 I suspected my father's arrest cast a shadow over my application. 434 00:27:51,463 --> 00:27:54,133 So I changed my last name to my mother's. 435 00:28:01,849 --> 00:28:05,979 And finally, after nine long years, I was granted my visa. 436 00:28:06,478 --> 00:28:08,808 I boarded a plane to America. 437 00:28:08,897 --> 00:28:11,977 It was the moment I'd been waiting for my whole life. 438 00:28:12,067 --> 00:28:13,897 I was free. 439 00:28:14,403 --> 00:28:17,283 You've been a presence throughout my whole life. 440 00:28:17,364 --> 00:28:20,414 You shined a light on apartheid and helped me realize 441 00:28:20,492 --> 00:28:24,412 that love and equality can prevail against oppression. 442 00:28:25,163 --> 00:28:31,343 I am so thankful that I've been able to use whatever gift I've been given 443 00:28:31,420 --> 00:28:34,840 to inspire people to be their better self. 444 00:28:34,923 --> 00:28:38,933 Every single one of us has to use whatever talents we have, 445 00:28:39,011 --> 00:28:40,511 whatever heart we have, 446 00:28:40,596 --> 00:28:43,266 to make a better place for everyone. 447 00:28:44,474 --> 00:28:46,104 And I don't think it's impossible. 448 00:28:46,185 --> 00:28:49,765 Thank you, Stevie, for showing me that my music can change the world. 449 00:28:49,855 --> 00:28:51,185 [speaking Zulu] 450 00:28:51,273 --> 00:28:53,943 Thank you for standing up for my freedom. 451 00:28:54,026 --> 00:28:57,316 You've inspired me to fight for love and equality, 452 00:28:57,404 --> 00:28:59,454 and to right the wrongs of our society. 453 00:29:00,073 --> 00:29:05,293 We are singing for love and for oneness for all people. 454 00:29:05,370 --> 00:29:06,910 Sincerely, Namel. 455 00:29:07,456 --> 00:29:09,246 Sincerely, Nomsa. 456 00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:11,253 Thank you, Stevie. Bryan. 457 00:29:11,835 --> 00:29:14,125 Thank you, Stevie. Tracy.