While a number of celebrities have voiced their outrage over the George Zimmerman trial verdict that cleared him of all charges in the death of an unarmed teen, Stevie Wonder has vowed to take his frustration to the next level by boycotting the state of Florida, entirely.
"You can't just talk about it, you have to be about it," declared the Grammy-winning superstar.
The music icon announced that he will not perform in the Sunshine State during a performance in Quebec City, Canada on Sunday, after Zimmerman, a 29-year-old half-white half-Hispanic man, was acquitted of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman followed the teen as he was walking through a gated community in Sanford, Fla., and claims that he shot Martin in self-defense after the two got into an altercation last year.
The verdict, which has sparked protests in cities across the nation, prompted a number of stars to speak out, including Beyonce, who held a moment of silence for Trayvon during her concert in Nashville on Saturday, 30 minutes after Zimmerman was declared not guilty, reports HNGN.
Rihanna tweeted an emotional message about the verdict, comparing Trayvon to her younger brother. "A child was gunned down for no reason! And nothing about that sounds like murder? My baby brother is 17, this rocked my whole s--t! #thesystemisandhasalwaysbeenphucked."
Katy Pery also expressed concern tweeting, "What do we stand for? How are we America, united... the beautiful? We should take a long look in the mirror, we need REAL change."
However, Wonder is the first celeb to go the extra mile, directly calling for justice.
"I decided today that until the 'Stand Your Ground' law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again," Wonder told his fans. "As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world."
Although Florida's "stand your ground" law arguably was not a factor in Zimmerman's acquittal, it was a potential motivation for Zimmerman's actions on the night he and Martin had their deadly encounter. The law gives people the right to use deadly force if they feel their life is threatened.
Wonder also asked his fans to join him in the boycott.
"For those that we have lost in the battle for justice, wherever that fits in any part of the world - we can't bring them back," he said. "(What) we can do is we can let our voices be heard. And we can vote in our various countries throughout the world for change and equality for everybody. That's what I know we can do."
Watch video footage of Stevie Wonder making the annoucement below:
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