New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday honored award-winning Brooklyn filmmaker Spike Lee with a key to the city.
The mayor presented Lee with the key during his coronavirus briefing.
De Blasio said the 64-year-old director epitomizes the resiliency, strength, and spirit of New York City.
"His voice is one of the truest voices of all New Yorkers," said de Blasio, "the way he understands our city, loves our city, sees into our neighborhoods and our lives. He shows the tough realities we face too with a really clear eye and that has been moving to a lot of us and inspiring to so many of us."
De Blasio praised Lee for his recently-released, multi-part documentary, "NYC Epicenters," which chronicled the strength and resiliency of the city following the September 11 terror attacks and the ongoing pandemic.
"Many great people have won this honor over the years because they did extraordinary things," de Blasio said, "but I can safely say no one has portrayed our city more truly, more from the heart, in a way that both demands better of us and tells us how good we are in our souls."
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Lee was grateful for the honor and also acknowledged the serious situation the city is in now as COVID-19 surges, thanks to the highly-contagious omicron variant.
"It's very simple — I love New York City," said Lee. "I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Brooklyn, New York, when I was two years old. I'm a product of New York City public education, and it shaped me. I live and die New York City, the greatest city in the world, and the greatest city is going to have great problems -- but we overcome."
While accepting the honor, Lee took a moment to encourage New Yorkers to get the vaccine and get boosted.
"No matter what it is, we come out on top because we're New Yorkers, that's how we're built," Lee added. "We have to get vaccinated, we've gotta get boosters shots ... let's get those boosters, let's get those shots and let's go."
Legendary feminist journalist and activist Gloria Steinem, 87, also received the key to the city on Monday.
Hazel Dukes, President of the NAACP New York State Conference, George Gresham, President, United Healthcare Workers East, and former U.S. Congressman, Charles Rangel, were all given keys to the city last week.
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