Lee speaks words of encouragement at MLK Convocation

Last Wednesday, Loyola's Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation posed a fairly simple question for the evening: What's on Spike Lee's Mind? And when the celebrated director, actor, and writer took the stage, it was immediately apparent that there is no shortage of thoughts in capacity of Spike Lee.

After an introduction from Tim Snyder, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Lee began to casually converse with the audience. Though his overall comments ranged from how you reconcile years of slavery to why the US dominates the world because of our culture, Lee started by reminding us of one significant event that happened exactly a year ago.

"One year ago today, I was freezing my a-- off going to all these balls," Lee said with a laugh, engaging the audience by sharing his own memories of President Obama's inauguration. But quickly switching to a more serious tone, Lee also discussed how the euphoria surrounding inauguration of our first African American president has seemed to die down since last January.

In the mind of Spike Lee, this is exactly why it is important to look back on history and remember things in context. Martin Luther King Jr.'s time on earth, for example, is something Lee believes we need to re-visit and examine again.

"It is important for the young minds in the audience that you really have to get to know who Dr. King is. The rest is just surface," Lee told an attentive crowd.

Lee associated his memories of King with specific events in his childhood, and shared an emotional story that occurred on the day of King's assassination. He recalled sitting on his stoop when he heard a "crazy woman screaming." As the voice got closer, he recognized his mother's frantic voice screaming, "They killed him! They killed him! They killed Dr. King!"

Lee's lecture then took us back to his childhood and the events that led him to where he is today, explaining that he didn't always want to go into filmmaking. In fact, his first attempt at the craft occurred solely out of boredom.

In the summer of 1977, Lee found himself in New York City without a job. This particular summer became one of the hottest known, causing a city-wide blackout. So, simply because he had nothing else to do, Lee picked up a camera and began to document the event. Later, Lee was encouraged to tell stories through his footage. And it was this same encouragement that Lee still feels strongly about today.

"Parents kill more dreams than anybody. And it's not because they're Nazis or they're mean," he explained. "Parents want something better for their children." Luckily for us, Lee's parents certainly didn't fit the "dream-killer" mold and he did not contract the dreaded disease, "Parental Pressure Syndrome."

His parents were involved in the arts, his father a jazz musician and mother a teacher of black literature. They often encouraged Lee to experiment in different fields, and, despite his reluctance, exposed him to different shows and plays.

"With exposure, there might be something that you like. If you aren't exposed, especially at a young age, it won't develop," Lee explained. Exposure and encouragement from family members, especially his grandmother, were key in his development as a filmmaker. It was his grandmother that wound up putting him through both Morhouse College and New York University Graduate School.

And Lee emphasized multiple times that it was hard work and persistence that led to his successful career. He didn't get out of bed one day and become a filmmaker, he assured the audience, and it took him 10 years to reach his goals.

"You have to bust you're a-- to do whatever it is you do," he explained, joking that in real life, your dreams aren't handed to you like they are on some reality television shows. All of Lee's childhood memories and growing-up stories emphasized a certain point that seemed most relevant to his college student audience: whatever it is that you love should be exactly what you wind up doing in life.

"Many people on Earth go to their graves hating the jobs they have," Lee explained. He enthusiastically expressed his hopes that the students in the room had chosen their majors based on what they loved, and not on how much money they would make as a result.

Lee's lecture served as a keyhole into the mind of the accomplished man, demonstrating what hard work and determination can amount to. Lee's words also served as encouragement for anyone attempting to pursue his or her dreams.

These messages, paired with the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy, provided a feel-good atmosphere appropriate for the celebratory evening.