Spike Lee had to warm up to his remarks (since his major concern in the "GREEN" Room was the Jets and their defeat - oh Vikings fans it goes beyond to other teams,also) so he couldn't let it all pass without commenting on the lovely Minnesota weather. Only about -20 below. The hearty did show up!
And Humanitarian Awards were given - and Hats off to David Nasby - a wonderful community friend who supported many of us in the non-profit community over the years. Anyway...powerful, spiritual, moving music, singing, a jazz ensemble, and speeches. - a beautiful program
In a short 20-minute talk, Spike Lee stepped out in front of the podium and talked to the over 1,500 person audience (plus seating with screens in the lower level) at St. Mary's Basilica in downtown Minneapolis. He wove the story of his beginnings, his love of Brooklyn in with the message about parenting and leaving our children lost. He spoke about education and the deep concern of "what happened?" to our kids and their disconnect between wanting to learn and wanting to stand on a street corner.
He talked of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the courage to stand up for the rights of all people. And he hit his homerun by swinging on the decisions that have brought us Iraq and the prisons that are destroying another generation of young people. One of the most poignant statements was his question - will people (especially parents) be teaching their children the history of today (MLK's birthday) on their day off. And we can all ask that rhetorical question: What would Martin think now?
Spike even talked about God and the importance of spirituality in our lives - but you hardly noticed because he hit it on the head - short, sweet, provocative and leaves you asking yourself some very serious questions about your own life. Humanitarians do that - they look at us as humans and how we all fit together as humans and then take on the challenges to help those who need it.
Spike Lee writes screenplays , entertainment and MESSAGING are his game - his remarks were a play unto themselves - and they were real (not a lot of entertainment hype tonight).
Not two or three sentences but it is my first blush. I'd have to work on it from here. And what I might write on Monday might be different than right now!
And so now it is the wee hours of Tuesday morning and my summary message is still the same as above...but I would add one caveat... all this stuff we talk about on this list - let's figure out how to make it simple, down to how it impacts and make an impression and teaches those under 35. They are inheriting this mess and cauldron we have ourselves into these days.
Let's quit bickering amongst ourselves - let's come up with some positive, workable solutions to help our children and grandchildren. Let's figure out the best ways we smart people of Minneapolis can make our city #1 again - after all, most of our races this year are supposed to be non-partisan... so let's just pick the right people to get the jobs done.
Annie Young East Phillips
--- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.706 / Virus Database: 462 - Release Date: 6/14/04
REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
