Spike Lee in Mississippi?
KN called and left me a message, “Get back to me, because I have to get this off of my chest.” When I called her back, she told me that she was part of an audience in which Spike Lee was the guest speaker. And there was a sense of pride in her voice when she told me about the many, great things said and discussed between Spike Lee and the Ole Miss students.
Lee said that rap culture has perpetuated a cult of violence, drug use, disrespect to women and ignorance among a staggering portion of young blacks. He encouraged students to stay focused, saying that the gangster mentality portrayed in the media is not only a distraction but also plays on the old stereotypes associated with the minstrel show era.
“Back then it was black paint and red lipstick,” Lee said. “Fast forward to today, and it’s gold on your neck and gold on your teeth. That’s a spit in the face. You have to be strong. Don’t cave in to that type of ignorant thinking. This ‘gangsta’ obsession is madness. Thinking like that is genocide.”
In his UM address, he talked about how his company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, produces at least one film a year. Upcoming releases include a documentary entitled “When the Levees Broke,” which examines the lives of the New Orleans residents impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The documentary is scheduled to be released in August, the one-year anniversary of the storm.
“This documentary has been difficult to make,” Lee said. "The devastation is unimaginable. It looks like a hundred nuclear bombs were dropped on the Ninth Ward. It's heartbreaking."
Lee remarked on Mississippi’s progress and commended the University for removing the Confederate flag from campus, but he said more needs to be done on what he considers symbols of oppression. “We have to do something about that state flag,” he said. “I know people say its representative of history. Well, so is the swastika.”
But in the middle of a discussion between a black film maker, born and bred from Brooklyn, and Ole Miss students, whose state flag still bares the confederate emblem, about the in betterment and enlightenment of African-Americans, a young white student said, “What do you think of the use of the N-word?” But he didn’t say the N-word – he actually said the word ‘Nigger.’ KN said that there was a sense of tension in the room, she witnessed the black and white students angry at the blatant disrespect, insulted by the man’s audacity, but on KN’s side, she noticed an elderly black woman readjusting her grip, tightening her hold on her cane. She could her say, “The nerve on that boy, saying that to Mr. Lee.”
At that point, it might have been easy for Spike Lee to get an angry or have the African-Americans riot on the man. Moments like this spark up petty emotions in even the best of us, but Spike Lee took advantage of this moment, and educated the young man, saying, “It’s my belief that some people don’t have the right to use that particular word, because they don’t understand its significance.” The young man, embarrassed, then asked him what made him want to make ‘Hoop Dreams,’ which he didn’t make or was affiliated with in any matter.
I said, “I think it was a joke. Some guy told his friend, I bet you 20 dollars that you can’t say the word ‘Nigger’ to Spike Lee.” KN said that she doesn’t doubt it. I asked her how the crowd reacted to the man after the guest lecture was done, and she said, “They were angry, but I think he had left before the show was over. I wouldn’t be surprised if security escorted him out.” I asked her how she felt about it, and she told me, “I just want to write Spike Lee and apologize for the existence of dumb white people.”
Lee said that rap culture has perpetuated a cult of violence, drug use, disrespect to women and ignorance among a staggering portion of young blacks. He encouraged students to stay focused, saying that the gangster mentality portrayed in the media is not only a distraction but also plays on the old stereotypes associated with the minstrel show era.
“Back then it was black paint and red lipstick,” Lee said. “Fast forward to today, and it’s gold on your neck and gold on your teeth. That’s a spit in the face. You have to be strong. Don’t cave in to that type of ignorant thinking. This ‘gangsta’ obsession is madness. Thinking like that is genocide.”
In his UM address, he talked about how his company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, produces at least one film a year. Upcoming releases include a documentary entitled “When the Levees Broke,” which examines the lives of the New Orleans residents impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The documentary is scheduled to be released in August, the one-year anniversary of the storm.
“This documentary has been difficult to make,” Lee said. "The devastation is unimaginable. It looks like a hundred nuclear bombs were dropped on the Ninth Ward. It's heartbreaking."
Lee remarked on Mississippi’s progress and commended the University for removing the Confederate flag from campus, but he said more needs to be done on what he considers symbols of oppression. “We have to do something about that state flag,” he said. “I know people say its representative of history. Well, so is the swastika.”
But in the middle of a discussion between a black film maker, born and bred from Brooklyn, and Ole Miss students, whose state flag still bares the confederate emblem, about the in betterment and enlightenment of African-Americans, a young white student said, “What do you think of the use of the N-word?” But he didn’t say the N-word – he actually said the word ‘Nigger.’ KN said that there was a sense of tension in the room, she witnessed the black and white students angry at the blatant disrespect, insulted by the man’s audacity, but on KN’s side, she noticed an elderly black woman readjusting her grip, tightening her hold on her cane. She could her say, “The nerve on that boy, saying that to Mr. Lee.”
At that point, it might have been easy for Spike Lee to get an angry or have the African-Americans riot on the man. Moments like this spark up petty emotions in even the best of us, but Spike Lee took advantage of this moment, and educated the young man, saying, “It’s my belief that some people don’t have the right to use that particular word, because they don’t understand its significance.” The young man, embarrassed, then asked him what made him want to make ‘Hoop Dreams,’ which he didn’t make or was affiliated with in any matter.
I said, “I think it was a joke. Some guy told his friend, I bet you 20 dollars that you can’t say the word ‘Nigger’ to Spike Lee.” KN said that she doesn’t doubt it. I asked her how the crowd reacted to the man after the guest lecture was done, and she said, “They were angry, but I think he had left before the show was over. I wouldn’t be surprised if security escorted him out.” I asked her how she felt about it, and she told me, “I just want to write Spike Lee and apologize for the existence of dumb white people.”
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