It doesn’t mean a day off, or free pizza at Sal’s, but Brooklyn’s new “Do the Right Thing” day does celebrate the historical significance of Spike Lee’s seminal film to the borough – on the 25th anniversary of its release.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on Tuesday designated June 30 as “Do the Right Thing” Day during a Borough Hall ceremony at which the 1989 film was praised for avoiding easy answers.
“Many people don’t realize how profound and powerful the movie ‘Do the Right Thing’ actually was,” he said. “Spike created an image of Brooklyn that was beyond the headlines, beyond the stereotyping, beyond the negative images.”
The film traced one day on a Bedford-Stuyvesant block with oppressive heat symbolizing the long-simmering racial tensions in the city. The characters, including Lee as Mookie and the late Ruby Dee as Mother Sister, struggle to endure the rising mercury on both fronts.
“Do the Right Thing Day” will kick off Monday following a Saturday block party in Bed-Stuy, which Lee plans to emcee on Stuyvesant Ave. between Lexington and Quincy Aves, reports the New York Daily News.
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