Spike’s Guide to Peace
How Charlottesville informs “Blackkklansman”.
He takes out his Ku Klux Klan identification card with a sigh of relief. A black man has officially became a member of the KKK. Ron Stallworth, an investigator for the Colorado Springs police department, had managed to use his name MENTION MISTAKE AND HOW ADAM DRIVER WAS NEEDED AS A STAND IN and fake being white to get into the Klan.
On his first undercover mission, Ron is tasked with attending a speech by Kwame Ture, where he meets Patrice, the president of the black student union. From that moment Patrice has left a star in Ron’s eye. Ron later asks Patrice to go out for a drink and they get a little boogie going.
Patrice was fighting for equality and peace for the black community. She organized the gathering for Kwame Ture to come speak to the people of Colorado Springs. Ron was there undercover gathering intel to make sure Kwame did not incite the people for violence. Its very ironic cause the KKK is hosting their initiations and watching Birth of a Nation to reignite the fire the KKK has previously had.
Ron has been watching the Klan’s every move. He thinks it’s time FOR WHAT? when he hears that David Duke, the chief wizard of the KKK, is coming to Colorado for the initiation of the new members. Flip Zimmerman and himself enter the meeting as each other. Flip saying his name is Ron and Ron saying his name is Flip. The two eventually get caught by one of the clansman. Felix knowing this sends his wife with a bomb to go kill Patrice. The high-speed chase results with Ron putting his life on the line trying to stop the attack from happening.
Spike uses the scene of the bomb going off to take us to the problems we are facing in the modern world. He puts the darkness of the scene and bomb explosion to get our emotions ready for the dark truths about today.
Ron and Patrice enter the corridor to his apartment staring into the never ending hallway. Through the dark window there is a faint light shining in the dark. A cross was STICK IN PRESENT burning. Ron had managed to stop the burnings from happening when he had infiltrated the KKK, but after his resignation the practices began to resume. Lee includes this to show the viewer that the problems caused by racism are not over.
When Spike Lee was writing the film the events of Charlottesville happened. And with all the racial tension in the world it was perfect way for him to create the pathway from dramatization to real life.
On August 12, many people gathered in Charlottesville over the plans to remove a Confederate statue. The rally “Unite the Right” was there to peacefully protest and say that it should be removed due to its historical connection to slavery. While the gathering was happening a car was driven into the crowd causing deaths and many other injuries. LEE THEN CUTS TO DONALD TRUMP . . .
“egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides”
“you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”
Trump comments on what happened show the inability to condemn white supremacy. We see this problem again with events that occurred on January 6 at the white house.
My first time watching the film was in 2021 for a Martin Luther King day film festival with school. The events leading up to the film created a perfect way to connect to the film. January 6 and all of the BLM protest that have occurred in the past year have been the big topic on the news. The fight for equality is what we are still seeing today.
In 2021 there is still a civil divide between the black and white community. Many will go to say that is has disappeared or is no longer present, rather than saying we have been taught to hide the problem or not accept the issue. Spike Lee’s dramatization of racial tension shows the problems that are still happening today. Maybe not as severe but for many there is a pre determined thought that the white man is better than the black man WHITE SUPREMACY MORE CONCISE and thats why we still have the same problems now.
Martin Luther King Jr asked us “ to develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” Spike Lee takes those words and puts them to work in his art. Through the Blackkklansman, Spike shows us what the normal life in America the black community is fighting for. They have to go out of their way to just be treated the same way i’m treated.
“American homegrown act of terrorism
ENDING HONORS HEATHER HEYER and others who gave their lives for a greater cause
