Tonya Lewis Lee
In Tonya’s Words
On her biggest challenge:
“It seems to be overcoming fear as it applies to my work. I worry—you wonder if what you do is any good and if anyone will like it. No matter how long I’ve been at it, there are times that fear gets in the way of beginning a project. When I started writing it took me 10 years to even show anyone my work. It wasn’t until recently that I began embracing myself as a writer.”
On her most influential role models:
“Definitely my parents—my father was a pioneer working in finance at Philip Morris, eventually ending up as the CEO of one of its subsidiaries. Back in the 60s, black people didn’t work in finance, so he really blazed the trail. I saw up close and in person the value of hard work and the commitment to family and community.”
On interviewing Michelle Obama:
“The first time I interviewed Michelle was in 2007 after a luncheon in Palm Beach. A year later, I interviewed her again, this time with an entourage of Secret Service following her around. She was just as warm, so down to earth—someone I really wish I had the opportunity to spend some time with. As a mother and working woman, we have a lot in common.”
On motherhood:
“My kids are most definitely my greatest accomplishment. I have to pace myself to keep up with their needs. Although they are in school all day (we have a daughter in high school and a son in middle school), I’m still working for them—making appointments, following up on things—time management is key to fitting everything in.”
On being Mrs. Spike Lee:
“Marrying Spike was a huge risk! This world of entertainment and movie stars was not something I dreamed about doing. It’s been an interesting ride. It’s funny—I went to a psychic a year before we met. She said the man I was going to marry would be a black man, with jet black hair, and she said my life would change in ways I never even dreamed of. She was so dead on!”
In Production
February 2011
In her high school yearbook, Tonya Lewis Lee was quoted as saying that in 10 years she would be writing and producing for television. Thinking at first she couldn’t make a living in a creative field, she went into law. “I felt like I wanted to do something to help other people, I just didn’t know what. I figured if I had a law degree I’d be able to support somebody somehow.”
With her J.D., Tonya joined a law firm and worked on First Amendment issues, until she became Mrs. Spike Lee. “I think what Spike had that I didn’t was the belief that you can do what you enjoy and still be able to make a living doing it. Sometimes my husband is the person who sees in me what I don’t see in myself,” she admits. “He encourages me to just go for it.”
Tonya founded Madstone Company, Inc., a multi-media company where she produced programming for Black History Month that aired on Nickelodeon, featuring artists like Savion Glover, Whoopi Goldberg and Queen Latifah. “Because of my father’s job we moved around a lot when I was a kid—at times we were the only African-American family in the neighborhood,” says Tonya. “I became aware of the prejudices that exist in our society. It made me want to fix it. I wanted to counteract the negative portrayals of people like me in the media.”
To further spread the message, Tonya co-authored her first children’s book Please Baby Please with Spike, which tells the story of a usual day in the life of a two-year-old. She continued the series with Please Puppy Please. “I wanted to show images of African-Americans as just regular people. I think the books that talk about I love my beautiful brown skin are important and have a place, but I wanted to write a book that showed a kid just being a kid,” she affirms. Her latest book, Giant Steps, uses historical figures as examples of diverse people who have overcome obstacles and gone on to make a great impact on the world.
In 2007, Tonya became the national spokesperson for A Healthy Baby Begins with You, a campaign initiated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. She raises awareness about the infant mortality crisis in the African-American community and advocates for healthy lifestyle choices. “When I realized that African-American women of all economic and educational backgrounds have a higher rate of infant mortality, I had to find out why and let people know what’s going on.”
In addition to traveling the country, Tonya produced Crisis in the Crib: Saving Our Nation’s Babies, a documentary film about the campaign. She also launched HealthyYouNow.com, which supports women, particularly of color, on their journey to achieve optimal health and wellness.
“I might have back-doored my way into my career but I knew this is where I wanted to be. Had my daughter not found my high school yearbook, I might say I never imagined this, but it’s not true—I did imagine it.”
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