Editor’s Note: The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

Music legend Stevie Wonder received an honorary doctorate of humane letters at Fordham University’s 178th Commencement on May 20 at the college’s Rose Hill campus in Fordham Manor.

 

Dignitaries at the event included U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer who joked during his brief address that he knew everyone was just waiting to hear from Wonder, and therefore simply congratulated all the graduates and promptly tore up his prepared remarks amid cheers and applause.

“It is an honor and a thrill to welcome Stevie Wonder to Fordham,” said Tania Tetlow, Fordham’s first lay president. “His music has charmed us, consoled us, elevated us, and entertained us for more than six decades. He is a shining example of an artist’s ability to stir the soul.”

 

Ahead of his conferral, and amid huge cheers from the crowd, another Fordham dignitary introduced Wonder, saying, “For more than six decades, Stevie Wonder has used his gifts as a musician and songwriter to entertain and inspire millions.”

He continued, “His music and lyrics bear witness to communities in conversation about social injustice, the harsh truths of heartbreak and desolation, and above all, the power of love to lift us to a higher ground.”

 

According to Fordham, a child prodigy, Wonder, born Stevland Morris, was signed by Motown Records at age 11, and in 1963, as 12-year-old Little Stevie Wonder, he became the youngest recording artist to achieve a No. 1 single, with “Fingertips, Part 2.”

Fordham officials said Wonder was regarded as a musical genius and a pioneer, a master of many instruments and groundbreaking in his use of synthesizers. They said his songs have topped the charts for decades, bridging the genres of pop, R&B, funk, soul, gospel, and jazz.

 

After the official portion of the ceremony was complete, a keyboard and cover were wheeled out onto the hallowed steps of the famous university, and to the ecstasy of those present, Wonder treated the crowd to a medley of his hits, including “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” released in 1972, decades before most of his fellow graduates were even born.

Despite the dismal, intermittent rainfall, Wonder lifted everyone’s spirits, offering the Class of 2023 words of heartfelt gratitude to be counted among its members. Commanding the attention of the crowd with quiet, purposeful words, he said, “I am truly honored, and I can’t say enough.”

The multi-Grammy award winner, whose wins span the decades from 1974 to 2010, praised God and talked about using his musical gifts for good, before later appealing to the youth to be activists for the greater good. “You have to vote,” he said.

 

“You have to serve your communities, and you must enlighten the unenlightened, ” he added. “You really do have to be woke!”

The singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer lamented that “some people, some leaders, some governors” didn’t understand what being woke was.

 

“Let me tell you what it is; it’s being awake, being aware,” he said. “It’s not saying that the truth dies.”

The legendary pianist and singer went on to say it was about making people conscious of what was going on in the world. He gave the examples of global warming, healthcare, educational opportunities.

Then, apparently alluding to the Jordan Neely tragedy, he went on to say that some people felt it was their “unappointed duty” to do things like chokeholds “for 15 minutes on a man that may have a mental condition.”

 

Alleged accounts of former marine, Daniel Penny, holding Neely in a chokehold for 15 minutes have since been disputed by some and are the subject of an ongoing court case.

 

He added, “That’s unacceptable. That’s not the America that I believe in, so stand up and be counted as one against oppression, hatred, and let’s keep the truth alive.”

During a later address, Tetlow said Fordham’s graduates on the day ranged in age from 19 to 77 and came from 62 countries and almost every U.S. state.

 

Harold Morel, a faculty member in the graduate school of religion and religious education, said, “It was a wonderful commencement. Stevie Wonder – was great to have him here.” He added, “It’s always nice when Chuck Schumer comes and I thought, our President Tetlow gave a very nice address at the very end.”

We also spoke to some of the graduates who were blown away by Wonder’s presence.

 

Violeta Jeuncaj, a science graduate, majored in biology. Asked what area she hoped to work in, she said,  “Right now I’m going to get my masters and my PhD at Columbia in nursing, and then I’m hoping to become a nurse practitioner.”

Asked if she always knew she wanted to study biology, Jeuncaj said, “Yes, since I was, like, 10. It’s always been my dream to [do] something in the medical field, so it was the best option.”

 

To view a short video of Wonder’s musical performance, click here. [Video by Síle Moloney]