Murray State has been showcasing the Presidential Lecture Series dating back to 1983. Last year, the University was able to get James Carville and Mary Matalin to speak to the students and residents of Murray about their view on politics.
In past Presidential Lecture Series, Murray State has hosted guest speakers such as Ben Stein, Desmond Tutu, Richard Norton Smith, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Benazir Bhutto, Lech Walesa and F.W. DeKlerk.
This year, the reason behind the chosen speaker is not so clear. The University chose Spike Lee to speak to Murray State.
Many may be asking, who is Spike Lee, and how does he play an important roll in today’s politics?
According to his online biography, in 1986, director Lee created his first film, “She’s Gotta Have It.” The film was one of the most successful films of that year. The film only cost $175,000 to make, but grossed more than $7 million at the box office.
Lee’s films usually tend to carry a strong message about race, religion and politics. Some of these films include “Malcolm X,” “Summer of Sam,” “She Hate Me” and “4 Little Girls.”
The Presidential Lecture Series is titled “An Evening with Spike Lee: America Through My Lens.” Lee will discuss how he sees the present and future of America by speaking about everything from political agendas to stereotypes in Hollywood.
In preparation for the event, the University is currently hosting a Spike Lee Film Festival, sponsored by the Murray State President’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion.
“Basically, this film festival is designed to do two things,” said S.G. Carthell, member of the commission and the director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “The first is to kind of educate or re-educate folks on who Spike Lee is. Some of the younger generation may know him as an icon, but not really his body of work, as far as his films.”
Lee has been a professor at New York University for 15 years in the film studies department, and he has produced a number of books. There are a lot of things he has done in addition to some of the films that people know him for.
“The second thing is to encourage folks to go to the lecture,” Carthell said. “The Presidential Lecture is an important event every year, and they’ve been very good about bringing in some really great speakers. This is another example of the versatility and diversity of that lecture series.”
The first film, “Inside Man,” was shown on Jan. 28 in the Curris Center Theater. It is currently his most successful film to date. “Get On The Bus” was shown Wednesday in the Barkley Room at the Curris Center. “Do the Right Thing” will play at 10:30 p.m. today in the Curris Center Theater. Lastly, “School Days” will be shown at 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the Curris Center Theater.
The lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, in Lovett Auditorium. The event is free and open to all Murray State students, along with faculty and the public.
Story by Savannah Sawyer, Assistant Features Editor.