Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee has long been lauded for his films exploring tough topics like race relations and other issues facing the Black community in the United States.
The two-time Oscar winner debuted when he wrote, produced and directed 1986’s She’s Gotta Have It. A few years later he earned a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination when he wrote, produced and directed the highly acclaimed Do The Right Thing. He won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman.
Despite his highly successful career in Hollywood, Lee is also well known for his love of the NBA‘s New York Knicks, where he can almost always be seen courtside. He also played a key role in helping boost the popularity of Michael Jordan and Nike’s Air Jordan brand, in which Lee’s self-portrayed character from his first film, Mars Blackmon, took a prominent role in a series of famous commercials exclaiming the key factor in Jordan’s success has “gotta be the shoes.”
The long-lasting partnership between Lee and Jordan led to the NBA great helping to play a key funding role in the production of Lee’s highly-acclaimed film Malcolm X in 1992.
In celebration of his art and efforts promoting racial equality through his films, Lee on October 17 was among the honorees at the 33rd annual Freedom Award held by the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, along with lawyer and Howard professor Sherrilyn Ifill and civil rights activist Xernona Clayton, who once traveled on speaking tours with Coretta Scott King and helped organize marches with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Held at the Orpheum on legendary Beale Street, the award honors those who have made strides in elevating and leading the charge on civil rights issues. Built at the site of the historic Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the National Civil Rights Museum describes the award as among the “nation’s most prestigious honors,” with past recipients including popstars Usher and Stevie Wonder, former President Jimmy Carter and former Georgia State lawmaker Stacey Abrams.
On the red carpet for the event, Lee signed Air Jordans, took photos with fellow Morehouse College alumni and cracked jokes with members of the NBA‘s Memphis Grizzlies before entering the venue.
“Spike is an integral member of the Jordan family and someone who, like Michael and the Jordan Brand, represents greatness and inspires others to do the same,” said Sarah Mensah, president of Jordan Brand, the event’s presenting sponsor.
Occurring just days before one of the contentious 2024 presidential election, the symposium was filled with political energy.
Ifill and Clayton implored the crowd to push for a “new American democracy” and for a brighter future, while Lee urged the crowd to support Vice President Kamala Harris while taking shots at the racial rhetoric of former President Donald Trump.
Ahead of the ceremony, hosted by rapper MC Lyte, Newsweek sat down with the acclaimed director to talk New York sports, the coming election, the legacy of Malcolm X and his history of bold predictions.
Director Spike Lee signs a sneaker on the red carpet of the Freedom Award ceremony, presented by the National Civil Rights Museum.
Courtesy of the National Civil Rights Museum/Brandon Dill
Spike Lee: What’s up, baby? How you doing? What’s your name?
Newsweek: Devin Robertson.
SL: What’s up, baby? Coming in with the fresh Jordans. Fresh Jordans. Hit me with the freshness, huh? Yeah, you said. You said you had to leave the dirty Spiz’ikes back home. All love, all love. And every time I come to Memphis. All love, all love.
NW: So, how are you feeling as a New York sports fan? You got the Liberty going into Game 3 [of the WNBA Finals]. You got the Yankees going into Game 2 [of the ALCS].
SL: No, we won Game 2 last night. Aaron Judge hit home at two. We’ll leave football out of it.
The Knicks. Let me piece some game to you. This ring right here, this is a ring from the 1972-’73 world championship New York Knicks. That’s the last time we won. We have two championships, ’69-’70 and the ’72-’73 team. It was all 50 years. But this year, F-I-Y-A–fire “orange and blue skies.” You know, I got the copyright? I got to talk to [ESPN pundit] Stephen A ’cause I got that. I copyrighted that. Yeah. Pat Riley copyrighted “threepeat.” Yeah, go ahead. So “orange and blue skies” is copyrighted.
NW: With the sports team, is it different when the expectations are high, or is it—
SL: Look, we. We haven’t won. I just told you, we haven’t won over five decades. That’s 50 years. Been to the finals twice, lost to Houston. We were up 3-2, lost Games 6 and 7. And then we lost against San Antonio.
But this year, expectations, New York City and Knick Nation are like sky-high. Now we got KAT too. Sorry Donte [DiVincenzo] had to go, but Minnesota’s not making that deal unless Donte was part of it. So, I feel we had the best point guard. Unless you say Steph [Curry] is a–You say Steph is your one or two?
NW: You know, it depends, because Draymond [Green] does a lot of the facilitating on that. And, you know, Steph is always moving without the ball. I would put him as more of a two.
SL: All right, so you just said it. My brother just said Steph is a two. So that means Jalen Brunson is the best point guard in the National Basketball Association. What?
And I know you got a guy here in Memphis. Peace and love. I will make no arguments, peace and love. But the people know it’s Brunson.
NW: So, as one of this year’s Freedom Award honorees, how would you like people to reflect on your contributions to promoting justice and equality?
SL: I think it’s really, in the films I’ve done, those are stories I’ve told, and a lot of those films have themes and messages that reflect what’s going on at that time when the film came out. Even still today, you have, you watched this past summer, June 30 was the 35th anniversary of Do The Right Thing. If you look at that film, I mean, you look at Ray Raheem, you don’t think about George Floyd? I wrote that script, came out ’89, wrote it in ’88. We’re talking about gentrification, global warming, a whole bunch of stuff.
It’s like I had a crystal ball. And that’s why my friends sometimes call me “Negro-damus.” (laughs) Come on, you give me some. Give me some “Negro-damus.” You predict this s*** before this s*** happens.
NW: And still relevant to these to this day, next year is going to be the 100th anniversary of Malcolm X’s birth.
SL: May 19
NW: And the 33rd anniversary of your film. I was just wondering if you could reflect on—
SL: Oh, yeah, look, none of that would be possible [without] Denzel Washington, that performance he gave will live forever. I think one of the best performances in a biopic that’s ever been done. A lot of obstacles, but we had, you could say, Allah was with us. We made that through.
We made that film through hell and high water. And also, I mean, that film went through various permutations. I mean, like 30, 40. You know, years to get that film made. So, uh, it almost killed me, though. We got it done.
Spike Lee watches the Freedom Award ceremony hosted by MC Lyte.
Courtesy of the National Civil Rights Museum/Brandon Dill
NW: That’s incredible because the story about the funding of that movie is like the stuff of Black legends.
SL: Yes. I had Warner Bros. not want the film to be 3 hours. So, they put the gun to my head and said, ‘if you’re not gonna cut the film, then we’re gonna get the film to just give it off to the bond company.’ They took the bond company, took the film over, and I had already put a million dollars. So, then they fired all, the entire production team got fired, registered letter, and I was stuck. And then it hit me because I became a student of Malcolm in doing this film. I read the autobiography of Malcolm X in junior high school. And that’s a book, that’s the most important book I’ve ever read. And I read that every year. And these two things kept coming in my mind. Self-reliance, self-determination.
I say, you know what? I know some Black folks got some cash, and I only, I got their phone numbers. But the tricky thing was, is that it was, they would not be, per se, getting an investment in the film to get money back. It was not a tax, it was just a gift. So, I made my list and Black folks came through and we were able to continue postproduction.
And then at Malcolm X’s birthday, I gave a press conference at the Schomburg library in Harlem, 135th street and Lenox, and told the world that these individuals gave us money.
And that was Malcolm’s birthday. February. No, no, it wasn’t. It wasn’t Malcolm’s birthday. Anyway, then once they made the announcement, the studio came back and, you know, started financing the film again.
But I was, there was some very dark days, you know, when they just fired production crew because, you know, we imposed production.
Funny story, though. So, we show. The first time the two presidents on Warner Bros. saw the film was the day of the L.A. uprising. I mean, you got me. The day L.A. is burning down is the day we show the first cut of Malcolm X.
So, to their credit, they stayed throughout that, and that cut was four hours. But, uh, I did not want that. They wanted me to cut the film to two hours. I wasn’t doing that. You know, that’s what happened.
NW: People are still drawing from Do The Right Thing.
SL: And I…I’ve been very proud of representing the culture.
The culture. And that’s where my soul is, my presence, who I am, the culture. And, you know, our stuff’s very specific, but loved all over the world.
NW: I get what you’re saying.
SL: You know what time it is.
NW: If you don’t mind us getting a little bit more serious.
SL: No, I’m with you, man. Whatever you want to do.
NW: Election time is coming up. You’ve been outspoken about telling everybody to get out. You were at the DNC [Democratic National Convention] earlier.
SL: Chicago. Yeah.
NW: What do you think are some of the most pressing issues and why do you feel it’s so important to share that message?
SL: Right now. Well, I’m just glad my brother [former President Barack Obama], he’s on the road. He’s really out there campaigning for a sister vice president [Harris], and he’s been really hammering. I mean, he’s really focused on Black men. Brothers, don’t go for the okie doke. Register to vote. And let’s get our sister in the White House. If you think that this guy [Trump] has done stuff for Black people, all I got to say is, “crack is whack.”
I’m not trying to be funny. This guy has never done nothing for Black folks, but him and his father were building buildings in New York City. Black folks couldn’t get in them. Don’t go for the okie doke. And definitely don’t go for the three S’s. Shenanigans, subterfuge. And the last one is a killer—skulduggery.
Don’t go for the okie doke. I mean, I don’t know how in your right mind you could think that. Let me finish to. Can I finish, please? All right. I don’t know. I don’t know how these young brothers in their right minds could think that this guy has, in his heart, what’s best for you.
Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Support our sister. Let’s make her the first woman to be president of the United States, the first woman of color. And also don’t get tripped up that her mother’s Indian. A lot of us. Come on now. And we, you know, we go by the one drop rule. She’s Black. Peace and love. We good to wrap it up, my brother?
NW: I appreciate you.
SL: Thank you. Thank you.
Now, another thing I’d like to say. Behind me are two brothers. Young brothers. I see you got a team. And that makes me feel good that the young brothers out there doing their own thing and, you know, gotta keep this s*** going. So, the young generation. Young generation. Come on now. You know, myself, people for me have paved the paths for you guys. Get the handoff. We can’t fumble it, though. No fumbles. Put the work in. Put the work in.
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