CHICAGO — Despite criticism from the leader of an Italian cultural group, officials at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., remain excited about the planned speech by filmmaker Spike Lee during a week of celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

“Spike Lee’s rubbed black folk, brown folk, Italians, Jews the wrong way,” said Renard Jackson, a professor and the event’s organizer. “He’s like Archie Bunker, he’s an equal-opportunity portrayer of people sometimes inadequately or improperly.”

Bill Dal Cerro, president of the Italic Institute of America, said the filmmaker’s portrayal of Italian-Americans is distorted and conflicts with the civil rights leader’s message of unity.

“He wants to be provocative, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Dal Cerro. “Where we take issue is that he is provocative at our expense, to the point where he distorts our culture and goes out of his way almost to make us the bad guys.”

Dal Cerro, a Chicago resident, assailed movies such as “Do the Right Thing,” “Jungle Fever,” “Summer of Sam,” and “Miracle at St. Anna” as unfairly stereotyping Italians.

“Having Lee speak at an event honoring Dr. King is akin to having Maury Povich as the guest speaker at a Happy Marriage Convention,” he stated in a news release.

Ted Slowik, director of public relations and communications at the campus, said the public will have the opportunity to ask tough questions of Lee at the Jan. 18 event, which takes place the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The college, he said, doesn’t necessarily endorse the views and opinions of the speakers it brings to campus.

Lee was not available for comment Monday.

• Mick Swasko