The streak is over! After 30 years in the business, and many other accolades including five Oscar nominations, Sheldon “Spike” Lee has finally brought home the gold. Making his directorial debut with 1986’s She’s Gotta Have It,which was also rebooted at as Netflix series in 2017. The Atlanta born Brooklyn bred filmmaker has since directed a plethora of films including School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992),Crooklyn (1994), Clockers (1995), Get on the Bus(1996), He Got Game (1998), Bamboozled (2000), Inside Man (2006) and Chi-Raq (2015). Lee has also acted in a few of these films portraying a multitude of characters.
At last’s night’s Oscars, Lee was nominated for three honors for his 2018 film BlacKkKlansman including Best Picture and Best Director, before winning Best Adapted Screenplay. Just as the latter, Lee’s other films have also explored numerous race obstacles, crime, poverty, media roles in daily life, colorism in the black community, and other political issues. After receiving his B.A. In Mass Communication from Morehouse College, Lee entered New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in film & television. At NYU, Lee also a tenured professor. Clad in a purple suit, Lee payed homage to his friend Prince, with a gold necklace that featured the late icon’s symbol.
After happily embracing actor and presenter Samuel L. Jackson, Lee gave a lengthy acceptance speech. In addition to expressing his political views, Lee also gave a heartfelt thanks to his grandmother, who was a Spelman College graduate, and who saved 50 years of social security checks to put him through college. He went on to say “Before the world tonight, I give praise to our ancestors who have built this country into what it is today along with the genocide of its native people. We all connect with our ancestors. “We will have love and wisdom regained, we will regain our humanity”.
“It will be a powerful moment. The 2020 presidential election is around the corner, let’s all mobilize. Let’s all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate”. Lee then concluded his speech, while quoting his 1989 film by saying, “Let’s do the right thing”! Congratulations Spike!
