Hundreds of students packed themselves into The Cage to hear one man speak. Anticipation buzzed through the air before he came on stage. They came to hear what he had to say on the rights of African Americans and other minorities in the United States. Students wanted to know what inspired him to create movies like Malcolm X. They wanted to know how he rose from poverty to became an amazingly successful artist whose cinematic works are known by millions around the world. They wanted to know Spike Lee.
The focus of his one-hour speech was his portrayal of life as an African American in an impoverished neighborhood though film. He talked about his experiences as a film student at NYU and the process in which he made each film.
Afterward, Lee opened the floor for questions. Students from the Five Colleges formed a line and patiently waited to hear the prophetic words from Spike Lee's mouth. One student raised a question about Native Americans and Asians in film and how Spike felt about the negative portrayal of these ethnic groups. Another student approached the microphone and professed his undying love and adoration for both Spike Lee and his films. He responded by asking him to approach the stage where he gave the student a warm embrace.
Following the question and answer period, there was a brief photo session. Students received autographs and pictures with Spike Lee. Numerous people took advantage of this time with him; from a distance it looked as if Spike Lee had been consumed by a mob of adoring fans.