7 Making a Difference

CHAPTER 7 Making a Difference Stevie's music reflected the things that were important to him. But in the 1980s he began taking a more active role in those causes. He played concerts to support peace rallies. He protested against the South African system of racial segregation known as apartheid. Stevie even made goodwill visits to foreign countries to help raise money for many different charities.

Stevie felt especially strongly about one particular issue: that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday should become a national holiday. Many other people did, too. But several tries at creating the new holiday had failed. The cause was so important to Stevie that in the early 1980s, he put much of his music career

on hold and spent his time trying to convince politicians to support the holiday. In 1981, he released a single called "Happy Birthday." In "Happy Birthday," Stevie sang: I just never understood How a man who died for good Could not have a day that would Be set aside for his recognition Stevie wondered how anyone could oppose creating a national Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Stevie gave performances and made speeches to support the national holiday. In 1981, he hosted a Rally for Peace Press Conference with civil rights leaders such as Reverend Jesse Jackson. In 1982, he led a rally in Washington on Dr. King's birthday that featured other stars such as singers Gladys Knight and Diana Ross. More than fifty thousand people attended. "Why should I be involved in this great cause?" Stevie

asked the crowd. "As an artist, my purpose is to communicate the message that can better improve the lives of all of us." Stevie could have made much more money playing concerts and releasing new songs. But for Stevie, it was worth it to spend his time working on a day to honor Dr. King. His four years of hard work paid off when Congress passed a bill creating the holiday. President Ronald Reagan signed it into law on November 2, 1983. Now, with Dr. King's birthday officially a national holiday, Stevie went back to work on his music.

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s. The movement sought to gain equal rights for black people in America. At the time, black people could still legally be treated different from whites—for instance, by being forced to eat in different restaurants or stay in different hotels. Dr. King tried to change that by organizing peaceful rallies and demonstrations. In 1963, Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech while standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968.

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