Stevie Wonder sings for Jerry Brown

Singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder endorsed Jerry Brown late Tuesday and released a video spot on Brown’s behalf using his record “Send One Your Love.”

Wonder has supported Democratic causes in the past, and the endorsement follows one from another major black celebrity earlier this month, former Los Angeles Lakers star guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

“The Whitman campaign has shown little effort to communicate her candidacy to African Americans,” said Marvin Kropke, Business Manager of IBEW Local 11 and co-chair of Working Californians, the group behind the ad, in a statement.

But some in the black community feel that Brown has also taken their votes for granted. On Oct. 21, Larry Lee, general manager of the Sacramento Observer, a paper oriented towards the local Africa-American community, took aim at both candidates in a piece titled, “Gubernatorial Candidates Ignore State’s Black Communities.”

“While the candidates are spending nearly $200 million on this campaign, there has been little — if any — outreach within the African American community for the very important position of governor,” Lee wrote. “Virtually no advertising buys with African American media; little to no exposure with African American institutions such as Black churches or community based organizations; sparse communication with African American political leaders.”

The piece went on to praise Brown for his record in appointing African-Americans and other minorities in his previous gubernatorial administration and other offices. But it went on to criticize him for taking the black vote for granted.