*Tyler Perry will receive the President’s Award at the Keepers of the Dream Awards on April 12 by Rev. Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network (NAN).
Perry is being honored for paying it forward during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. As Amsterdam News reports, the Hollywood mogul purchased groceries for the elderly in Georgia and Louisiana and provided the Atlanta police with grocery store gift cards to give to communities in need.
Perry also donated $100K to the legal defense fund of Kenneth Walker, Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend. Additionally, Amsterdam News notes that he paid for “funeral expenses for Rayshard Brooks and Secoriea Turner” and covered “travel expenses for George Floyd’s family for his funeral services,” the outlet writes.
“Tyler Perry embodies what the American Dream should be. This is a Black man who took his skill with the pen and turned it into a business empire the likes of which we’ve never seen,” said Sharpton.
READ MORE: Tyler Perry Donating $750K to Help Low-Income Elders in Atlanta
“Tyler has come to also represent the best of corporate America by using his personal success to bring others up with him. He has elevated Black voices and Black stories on both sides of the camera – not to mention on the front lines in the fight for social justice,” Sharpton continued.
“The President’s Award will recognize the work he’s already done, but we know this is just the overture for the impact Tyler Perry will leave on this nation,” he added.
The Keepers of the Dream awards are given to honor those who have preserved Dr. King’s dream by using their platforms to improve civil rights. The event takes place on the first night of NAN’s annual convention in New York from April 12-15.
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