In remembering human rights activist Malcolm X, whose 100th birthday is May 19, GRAMMY-nominated poet and writer Kevin Powell interviews Malcolm X filmmaker Spike Lee for Newsweek’s May 23, 2025, cover story available both digitally and on newsstands as a collector’s item.
In this “Newsmakers” special issue, Powell discusses Malcolm X’s impact on Lee, the activist’s evolution from a troubled youth to the prominent Nation of Islam spokesperson who criticized racism in America, and Lee’s commitment to honoring Malcolm’s legacy in the 1992 biopic that earned star Denzel Washington a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Lee also notes that America’s political climate hasn’t changed much since Malcolm’s assassination in 1965.
Powell is humbled to write about Malcolm X for Newsweek. “After cover stories for spaces like The New York Times, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Ebony, Vibe, British GQ, and The Washington Post, it is such a great honor to write my very first cover story for Newsweek, the historic magazine,” he said. “Doubly special that the piece is both about Malcolm X turning 100, on May 19, and Spike Lee’s massive body of work as a filmmaker, including his epic Malcolm X film. Both Malcolm and Spike changed my life forever, and here I am now with the unique opportunity to present their stories, which are truly all of our stories, with this special issue.”
Powell and his wife, Evangeline Lawson, have co-written and co-produced the new documentary When We Free The World, which will be available via streaming services this summer.
