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February 22, 2026

Spike Lee is one of those filmmakers who doesn’t just make movies. He makes statements.

My earliest memory of a Spike Lee film was Malcolm X, and then Crooklyn. And even though I haven’t seen every single classic, I’ve always been drawn to his storytelling style. The way he captures the rhythm of our neighborhoods, our conversations, our joy, and our pain. It feels familiar. Like home, even when it’s uncomfortable.

When I was a kid, my aunt made me watch Get on the Bus about the Million Man March. I remember not fully understanding everything at the time, but I felt it. The tension and the purpose. The debates and the emotion. Spike had a way of reminding the world that Black people are not one-dimensional. We’re layered, complex, and full of different perspectives.

Born Shelton Jackson, “Spike” Lee was raised in Brooklyn. He built a career that has spanned over 40 years, and he’s still going. Director, writer, producer, and sometimes even actor in his own films, Spike has always had a signature style, and his signature style went beyond the storytelling. His camera angles, cinematography, strong music and unmistakable visual choices made his films instantly recognizable. You could spot it immediately. A true “Spike Lee Joint.”

He didn’t just create films. He created a platform. He gave Black actors, artists, activists, and everyday Black stories room to breathe on screen. He made space for talent to be seen and for messages to be heard, even when it made people uncomfortable.

Spike Lee’s work has shaped culture, influenced generations of filmmakers, and helped redefine what Black cinema could look like.

Honestly, I need to set aside a full day and watch all the classics I missed from the 80s and 90s, because his catalog is too important to leave unfinished.

Thank you, Spike Lee, for your fearless storytelling. For your vision. And for using film as a tool to amplify Black voices, Black truth, and Black brilliance. ✊🏾

February 20, 2026

Stevie Wonder is a true artist and a once-in-a-lifetime kind of genius. He literally is one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, and the definition of a one-man band.

Born Stevland Hardaway Morris in Saginaw, Michigan and raised in Detroit, Stevie was a child prodigy in every sense of the word. Blind shortly after birth, he still found his way to music early, mastering instruments most adults struggle to play. He was signed to Motown at just 11 years old, where he was introduced to the world as “Little Stevie Wonder.” And the rest is history.

Stevie doesn’t just sing. He creates entire worlds through sound. He plays piano, keyboards, harmonica, drums, bass, and more. He’s written, produced, arranged, and performed music in a way that changed what pop, soul, funk, and R&B could even be.

His accolades are unreal. 25 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and he’s been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Stevie isn’t just a decorated artist. He’s stamped into music history permanently.

And the albums! It’s hit after hit, decade after decade. Songs in the Key of Life came out 11 years before I was even born, but it’s one of my favorites. That’s how timeless he is. His music doesn’t age. It just travels.
I can’t even name all my favorite Stevie songs, but a few that stay on my playlist are “As,” “Overjoyed,” “Ribbon in the Sky,” and “For Once in My Life.” Each one feels like a whole emotion. Like a memory you didn’t know you had.

And I love hearing the stories other celebrities tell about Stevie “being able to see.” People swear he’s not really blind. But honestly, I think when you lose one sense, the others become heightened. Stevie hears and feels the world differently. He picks up on energy, movement, sound, and presence in a way most people never develop.

Thank you, Stevie Wonder, for being a huge part of my childhood and my mother’s too. Your music has been the soundtrack of generations, and it still feels like home.

Now I’ve got to ask. What’s your favorite Stevie Wonder song? ✊🏾

February 18, 2026

LeVar Burton is a true legend. The kind of man whose work quietly shaped an entire generation.

Most people know him first as Kunta Kinte in Roots, a breakout role that became part of American history. I’m going to be honest, I’ve never watched Roots. Yeah, I know it’s important, but I can’t bring myself to sit through slavery movies. They trigger something deep, and I’ve learned I don’t have to force myself to relive pain just to prove I understand it. Protecting your peace is also part of survival.

But Reading Rainbow. Now that’s my LeVar Burton.

For 23 years, Reading Rainbow made books feel like an escape. It wasn’t just a kids show. It was a whole vibe. It made reading feel fun, imaginative, and powerful.

As a kid, PBS was that channel. I didn’t grow up with cable either, so regular TV was it. And PBS did not disappoint. Reading Rainbow talked to children like we were capable of curiosity, creativity, and big dreams.

LeVar made reading feel like a passport. A way to travel beyond your neighborhood and into an entire world of possibilities.

His talent didn’t stop there. He also voiced Kwame on Captain Planet and the Planeteers, did tons of guest appearances across TV, and built a strong career as a director, including directing episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he also played Geordi La Forge.

Beyond entertainment, he’s been a lifelong literacy advocate, pushing the message that reading is freedom. And on the personal side, he’s been married to the same woman for 34 years, which deserves its own standing ovation in this day and age.

Thank you, LeVar Burton, for being a major part of history for my generation. You didn’t just encourage us to read. You made us believe that books could take us anywhere, and that we could become anything once we learned how to imagine bigger. ✊🏾