Spike Lee

 

 

 

 

            The Harlem Renaissance marked a time for change. It is during this time that African Americans sought out ways to elevate their culture and race.  They used different mediums to accomplish like music, literature, movies, plays, and theories, to accomplish this goal. Some of these revolutionaries were: Duke Ellington; Langston Hughes; Bill Robinson; Bessie Smith; and Booker T. Washington, the Black people “elevators” of the Harlem Renaissance. We can see now, almost a century later, everywhere we look, that their work is paying off. Black people are gaining the respect that they (we) always wanted. However, the struggle is still on. There is still more “Black” to be elevated in the American Society. One man trying to do this is Spike Lee.

            Spike Lee is a director, writer, and actor. Some of his works include films like Bamboozled, Malcolm X, and Do the Right Thing. Most of his movies are centered around civil issues like: gay marriage; racial prejudices; interracial dating; and black on black crime. Some see his films as controversial; others see it as crossing the line between safe and offensive. But none can deny the effectiveness of his themes in conveying strong messages, themes of hope and peace. In his film Do the Right Thing there is a murder in a neighborhood due to racial prejudices. At the end of the film people the neighbors, all of different races and ethnicities, crowd around the dead body. Here we see a reflection among the people of what their hatred has resulted in, a dead body. In this a message for peace is conveyed. Lee has received many awards and is considered one of the best directors in the film industry. As a representative of African Americans his success elevates the Black society, just like the greats of the Harlem Renaissance.