Tyler Perry is making a huge donation to New York’s famous Apollo Theater.
During the Apollo Theater’s annual spring benefit gala, Perry announced that he is donating $500,000 to the historic venue, as reported by Variety. The media mogul made the announcement during his acceptance speech for the gala’s Impact Award.
“My studio in Georgia was once a former Confederate-owned army base where there were 3.9 million negroes and slaves at the time, and there were Confederate soldiers plotting and planning how to keep them enslaved,” Perry said. “While now that land is owned by one negro and I know the importance of what it means to honor that and honor the history of what it has been, and what it has been and to redirect it and change it. So it’s very important to me that we all give and support, and with that said, I’d like to give a half-million dollars to make sure this place continues to grow and thrive.”
During his acceptance speech, Perry shared that the majority of the people he paid to work for him last year with his $154 million payroll were Black. Perry urged those in attendance to continue to pursue their dreams, citing his own success in uplifting Black people in Hollywood as a good example.
“That is the power of us, that is the power of understanding our stories, our messages, whether who gets it or who don’t. Long as you walk you path, you understand who you’re talking to, you know your audience. If you’ve got a dream in this room, please hear me when I say this, do not give up on your dreams,” Perry said. “If I would have given up, I don’t know who would have given that payroll, or if they would be in Hollywood, if people wouldn’t let them in the door. When you come to Tyler Perry Studios, you see the most diverse group of people who have ever worked in the industry, and for that I am grateful.”
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