Spike Lee to bring relevant perspective to commencement

With graduation less than a month away, many students are anticipating the arrival of commencement speaker Spike Lee. The Editorial Board supports the University’s choice as Lee for our speaker, especially given Baltimore’s past year. The Baltimore uprising brought many endemic social and political issues to the forefront of our collective consciousness, and Lee is great choice to address them. As students of the University, we live in this city for four years and it is thus a part of our lives. We believe that Lee’s speech will be relevant to all students.

Lee is best known for his bold and provocative film direction and production. His past films have focused on bringing awareness to the same issues that urban America faces today. His films Chi-Raq, Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X are prime examples of his ability to combine activism and art.  As residents in Baltimore, we have personally witnessed and experienced the issues touched upon in Lee’s films. Racial tensions and struggles have recently been brought to the national stage, and these problems are especially close to home for the Homewood campus. We hope that Lee addresses the unique position of students and the University within this ongoing conversation. Lee’s past experiences have provided him with the knowledge to confront these topics, and we are confident in his abilities to link these conflicts to University students.

Some students have voiced concerns regarding controversial statements Lee has made on the government and social issues. We believe that these remarks do not disqualify Lee from speaking at commencement, and we trust that his speech will be more refined than an off-color tweet.

In addition to his filmmaking, Lee teaches at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. We appreciate the fact that Lee is a professor and academic. His experience mentoring students will serve as an asset while his status as an intellectual inherently adds credibility to his remarks.

The Editorial Board believes that Lee provides an important and interesting perspective on urban issues, and we hope that he discusses these topics at commencement. As the senior class graduates, they will inevitably be faced with similar issues and some will enter struggling communities. We believe that Lee has the wisdom to mentor the student body on how to address and deal with these kinds of issues, and that this advice is essential for post-graduate life.