A lot can happen in 20 years; it’s hard to believe “Do the Right Thing,” Spike Lee’s searing portrayal of urban race relations, debuted way back in 1989 when “Poppy” Bush was in the White House and asking us to read his lips. Two decades hence, we’ve wished “buh-bye” through gritted teeth to the Junior Bush-in-chief.
For Bush II’s beleaguered successor, fixing the economy and restoring our battered national character at home and abroad are, of course, top priorities. But, by virtue of his cross-cultural ancestry, President Obama is also implicitly tasked with re-defining our outdated notions about race.
On that score, Obama certainly has his work cut out for him. Come to think of it, as residents of metro Atlanta, so do we.
Hopefully, the recent 20th Anniversary celebration of “Do the Right Thing” at the Fox Theater will occasion more than wistful nostalgia for the late 80’s. It’s an opportunity also for metro Atlanta to examine anew some of the troubling issues Lee’s film dared to raise.
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