Whether it be directing groundbreaking films,or speaking passionately about the perils of African community, Spike Lee commands attention.
Lee did
just that as he touched on education reform, race matters and his career as a
filmmaker to a packed audience Friday at St. Sabina church.
"We're
in crisis," Lee began. He remarked about the beating death of Derrion
Albert and how 56 people were shot in a single Chicago weekend. "I'm not
here to pick on Chicago, but you got some extra here," Lee said.
Born
Shelton Lee in Atlanta, he moved to Brooklyn at an early age. His father was a
jazz musician and his mother was teacher. It was Lee's mother that gave him the
nickname Spike because he was a tough kid.
The
Morehouse College and New York University alumnus applied his “toughness” to
the big screen.
His
1986 debut film, She's Gotta Have It, was made for $175,000, but grossed $7
million at the box office. He followed that film up with School Daze, which
sparked national debate about the policies of Black fraternities and
sororities. And his Do the Right Thing garnered an Oscar nomination.
During
his 90-minute talk at St. Sabina, as part of its annual Black History Month
celebration, Lee said his mother often took him to the theater. He wasn't
enthused, but now is grateful for the experience.
"My
mother exposed me to a lot. And I made sure to thank her for taking me,"
said Lee, who also produced two HBO documentaries.
In
1997, Lee collaborated with the Chicago International Film Festival and created
Black Perspectives. The program features panel discussions, and screens films
made by black directors from the African Diaspora.
The accomplished
filmmaker admitted that he wasn’t a standout student growing up. Lee freely
admits that in school, he would do just enough to get by.
"Growing
up, I wasn't a good student. I wasn't motivated enough. I was just
drifting," he said.
It was
a single summer of unemployment in 1977 that would spark his creative juices.
"I
started filming with Super 8 camera I'd gotten for Christmas. New York had a
blackout. There was looting. And I filmed that," Lee recounted. He
returned to college with a new sense of purpose.
"I
became a better student because I found something I wanted to do. Film
discovered me," he proclaimed.
And now
Lee is big on education, hails teachers as “important” and says that
"parents you have to get involved.”
The filmmaker
had stern advice for college students who feel pressured by their parents to
not pursue their dreams. "I know they want you to make a decent living,
but that's existing from check-to-check," Lee said."If you can make a
living doing something you love...it's not work anymore."
To
lighten the heaviness of the evening, Lee joked while reprimanding an audience
member who was caught filming. "Hey my man? There's no videotaping. And
you always got to put your finger on the red light," he chuckled.
Copyright
2011 Chicago Defender
