Director Spike Lee wants you to follow your dreams.

“So this is what I hope,” Lee said last night during a lecture in the Grand Ballroom of Stamp Student Union. “I hope that when you chose your major it was not just based on how much motherf—-in’ money you’re gonna make when you graduate.”

More than 300 students listened to the director and producer talk about the path he took to achieve his dream of becoming a filmmaker during the Student Entertainment Events-sponsored event, held in honor of Black History Month.

“I say my prayers every night when my head hits the pillow,” Lee said. “I make good money doing a job I love.”

Lee is known for films such as School Daze, Malcolm X and Jungle Fever that tend to focus on political issues like poverty and race relations. His film Do the Right Thing, which dealt with issues between ethnic groups, was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 1990 Academy Awards.

Sporting his trademark Yankees hat and thick-rimmed glasses, Lee was relaxed and connected with his student audience by making jokes that occasionally only made him laugh, prompting the audience to follow suit. Though his main message emphasized staying in school and finding a career you love, he also touched on his opinion of fraternities and sororities, the presence of film schools in universities and his thoughts on the music industry.

And though he addressed many different issues, he stressed the importance of strength and education in the black community.

“We cannot succumb to this thinking that if you speak correct English and get good grades that you’re white, that you’re a sellout, that you’re an Oreo. Because of culture, not all, but certain elements of rap, TV, film — our whole strong foundation of education has been turned upside down. We should remember that at one time it was against the law for our ancestors to read or write. Despite those things hangin’ over their heads, they knew it was their duty to teach the next person to read or write.”

The event was a part of Stampfest, which traditionally features a musical act, but SEE instead decided to hold a lecture for Black History Month and thought Lee would appeal to both faculty and students.

“Lee has been making movies for over 20 years now,” SEE Lectures Director Mike Goland said. “He has been politically relevant for a long time. He is always in the news. Our student body is also very invested in current events, so it goes hand in hand.”

Lee attended Morehouse College, an all-male historically black college in Atlanta. He described himself as a straight-C student for his first two years of school.

“A long time ago, I was also a college student,” Lee said. “When I went to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I thought I was going to play second base for the New York Mets. Genetics conspired against that dream happening.”

After filming around New York during the summer of 1977, Lee enrolled in film classes the next fall, and suddenly his Cs turned into As. He had a teacher that encouraged him and would stay late several times a week to help him with his film project.

“That moment, I became a student,” Lee said. “I found something I loved. I found something that motivated me. I did five times more than what was required by the curriculum. Film chose me.”

Lee studied film production at New York University. When he graduated, he waited around for job offers from all the major film companies. It was not until he could no longer pay his bills that he decided to take his future into his own hands and eventually began to work on his first feature film, She’s Gotta Have It.

At the end of his talk, Lee took questions from the audience but not before one final announcement.

“I’m not auditioning,” longtime New York Knicks fan Lee said. “I’m not taking scripts. I don’t know how to end world hunger or AIDS. And, yes, the Knicks are getting LeBron [James] — I hope.”

Freshman undecided major Anthony Smith was one of the many who came to see Lee, one of his longtime idols.

“I feel that Spike Lee has the answers,” Smith said. “I’m looking for an inspirational speech, and I had to hear it. And I heard he was short and I wanted to see it for myself.”

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