Lee won for best original script — his first award after almost 30 years as America’s prominent black director — for “Blackkklansman” and immediately began reading a speech praising his African ancestors and how 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the arrival of forced black labor in Virginia. But as his film, otherwise set in […]
Lee won for best original script — his first award after almost 30 years as America’s prominent black director — for “Blackkklansman” and immediately began reading a speech praising his African ancestors and how 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the arrival of forced black labor in Virginia.
But as his film, otherwise set in the 1970s, ended with real-life footage of the deadly Charlottesville riots, he concluded his speech with a call to current politics.
“The 2020 presidential election is around the corner,” he reminded the liberal-leaning audience.
“Let’s all mobilize, let’s all be on the right side of history, let’s choose love over hate, let’s do the right thing,” he told the audience, which stood in ovation as he recited the title of the incendiary 1989 film that made his name.
Lee did not mention Trump by name in his address.
Trump in return blasted the director and tweeted that Spike Lee is ‘racist’ against him in an early morning tweet.
Trump said Lee’s acceptance speech amounted to a “racist hit” against the president.
