Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and race

In 1989, Spike Lee put out Do the Right Thing, which is my favorite Spike Lee movie. I was living in NYC when the film came out and it captures the feel of Brooklyn, the racial tension which was present in the area and the neighborhood feel that big city area like New York actually has to it. Often Mr Lee complains, and rightfully so, that his film was over looked that year by the Academy Awards. "Nobody is watching motherfucking Driving Miss Daisy today. Do The Right Thing is being taught in classes at major universities and high schools all over the world. That's how you're supposed to test art. Does the work stand up?"
It is ironic, that a film that deals with race is over looked and the film given the Academy Award has a black man in a subservient role to some old white lady in that forgettable film. I watched the directors commentary to Do the Right Thing where Spike said almost verbatim what he is quoted saying above. The NYT movie critic, A.O. Scott did a critic's picks on this movie and he does a brillant review of the movie and it's place in America cinema. I have meant to blog about this every since. The racial rants in the movie is one of my favorite scences.