Tyler Perry, Honoring the Bridges He Crossed

By Norman Franklin

Norman Franklin

It’s Black History Month. We are finding that the sentiment of millennials and generation Xers is that they are not so much interested in the sacrifices of past generations. The accomplishments of their ancestors and fore-parents showcased during the month fail to capture their attention.

Who was the first Black to do this or that, who invented what that served to better our lives but because of the social construct, failed to get recognition, who stood up against the culture of oppression with great personal sacrifice. It all seems ancient and irrelevant and trite. What does it mean today as it relates to their strivings against today’s culture of oppression.

I watched an episode of the hit sitcom ‘Black-ish’ which touched on that Now generation sentiment. But the heroes of today, the icons of business, entertainment, Hip Hop and social media podcasts are imbued with the spirit of their ancestors, their fore-parents, who in their strivings in an oppressive culture, pushed back, achieved, excelled, and contributed from their genius, from their creativeness, and in their defiance: hear us, see us, accept our value.

Tyler Perry is an African American who has generational recognition. Perry, the 54-year-old billionaire, once attempted suicide and dropped out of high school. Genius is nurtured in struggle; success is learned in failures. Today he is a phenom of business, the entertainment industry, and one who is intentional in celebrating Black heritage and reaching back to invest marginalized and neglected communities with which he has an affinity.

Perry was born on September 13, 1969. His father was physically abusive. Oprah Winfrey shared some advice. Winfrey also had a troubled past. Writing down personal experiences can be cathartic, she suggested.

“Let a wise person listen and increase in learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance,” Proverbs 1:5.

Perry’s first play, “I Know I’ve Been Changed” emanated from journaling his personal experiences. He wrote, self-funded, and starred in his first production in 1992. It flopped. He tweaked it and tried it again in 1998. The performances were sold out for eight days in a row.

The 1999 sound stage production of Woman, Thou Art Loosed, written by T.D. Jakes, grossed $5 million in five months. Many successes followed. Perry wrote and produced plays and featured films. One recurring character in his films is Madea, an African American contraction of “Mother Dear.” The brutally honest, gun-toting grandmother is played by Perry. The character brings the wisdom of Black family culture and value to the screen.

Perry has a keen sense of history, African American history, and our obligation to never forget from where we came; never forget that this is America.

Very Perry Productions, LLC, dba Tyler Perry Studios purchased the former Fort McPherson complex in 2015. The 330 acres would become the largest film production studio in America. Perry is the first African American to own a major film production studio. The Fort McPherson site is rich in American history dating back to pre-Civil War years.

In 1835, the Georgia Legislature designated the site as a meeting and drilling ground for the 101st Battalion of the state militia. The South used the area to train men for the Civil War. The military compound had no official name. The Confederate soldiers burned the barracks and cartridge factory as they retreated from the advancing Union Army in the battles for Atlanta.

The Army purchased the land in 1885, repurposed it with barracks, buildings, and troops stationed there by 1889. The Fort was named for General James McPherson who was killed in the battles for Atlanta in 1864.

In 1881, part of the grounds that once trained Confederate soldiers, was purchased by the American Baptist Missionary Society. The Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary would later become Spelman College.

The legacy of the Civil War was not lost to Perry; the economic conditions of the surrounding neighborhoods resonated with him. “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 can see that a Black man did that and they can do it too,” Perry said.

“The studio was once a Confederate army base,” Perry stated “which meant that there were Confederate soldiers on that base plotting and planning on how to keep 3.9 million Negroes enslaved. Now that land is owned by one Negro.”

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said at the closing of the deal in 2015, “The closing of this deal represents the start of a new period of job creation, business expansion and community development in South Atlanta. I am looking forward to the day when Fort McPherson is a catalyst for change in one of our most important neighborhoods.”

Perry has plans to expand the studios for a public accessible entertainment district. There will be theaters, retails shops, restaurants, and museums and a boost to the local employment opportunities.

There are twelve soundstages named for African American icons of the entertainment industry. They are Oprah Winfrey; Whoopi Goldberg; Will Smith; Cicely Tyson; Diahann Carrol; Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis; John Singleton; Sidney Poitier; Harry Belafonte; Della Reese/Spike Lee; Halle Berry and Denzel Washington.

All of these have represented Black Heritage. Some marched with Martin L. King, Jr. All took a stand in their era and arenas.

“Never forget where we came from…and always praise the bridges that carried us over.” Fannie Lou Hamer