Over the weekend, entertainer and producer Tyler Perry was awarded the “Ultimate Icon Award” at the BET Awards and gave credit to God for his success.
The comedian started his speech recalling childhood memories with his mom and her friends. When those women were abused by the men in their lives, Perry found power in humor lifting their spirits. “My first ten movies were all about [my mom] subconsciously, wanting her to know, wanting black women to know ‘you’re worthy, you’re special, you’re powerful, you’re amazing,’” he said.
He also shared the impact of helping an elderly man cross the street as a child. The man sold candy at his school as his living and needed help walking across the six-lane intersection, but no one would help him. Perry later reflected how this experience deeply impacted him when he hired actors such as Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis, and Idris Elba. “They couldn’t get jobs in this town but God blessed me to be in a position to be able to hire them,” he said. “I was trying to help somebody cross.”
Perry hopes his career is an inspiration for a younger black generation. “When I built my studio, I built it in a neighborhood that is one of the poorest black neighborhoods in Atlanta so that young black kids could see that a black man did that, and they can do it too,” he shared.
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