TYLER PERRY TO RECEIVE THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD AT THE NAN 2023 KEEPERS OF THE DREAM AWARDS FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

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Mar 14, 2023

Award to be presented by Family of George Floyd, Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III and other dignitaries including NYS Governor and NYC Mayor

New York, NY (Tuesday, March 14, 2023) – Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), will honor Tyler Perry with the President’s Award at the Keepers of the Dream Awards this year on Wednesday, April 12^th.

Mr. Perry’s humanitarian work has been just as impactful as his career in entertainment. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Tyler stepped in to help those in need, including purchasing groceries for the elderly in Georgia and Louisiana, purchasing grocery store gift cards for police to hand out to Atlanta communities in need, donating $100K to the legal defense fund of Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, paying for funeral expenses for Rayshard Brooks and Secoriea Turner, a young girl killed in Atlanta, and covering travel expenses for George Floyd’s family for his funeral services. The assistance he showed towards the Floyd family represents his unwavering support for NAN that began nearly 20 years ago, when he marched in Louisiana for the Jena Six.

“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 Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of NAN. “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. 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.”

Keepers of the Dream is the premiere event held on the first night of the annual NAN Convention, which will be held in New York City from April 12^th through April 15^th. The awards are given each year to mark the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. to recognize those who have kept his dream alive by using their platforms and positions to improve civil rights. Rev. Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and NAN Chairman Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson will present Mr. Perry with this year’s award.

Tyler Perry is the mastermind behind 24 feature films, 29 stage plays, 17 television shows, two New York Times bestselling books, Tyler has built an empire that has attracted audiences and built communities and in 2019 he celebrated the grand opening of his 330 acre studio in Atlanta, Tyler Perry Studios, the first Black man to own a major film studio.

The Keepers of the Dream Awards has a long history of celebrating leaders who have left a profound impact on their communities. In 2011, NAN hosted then-President Barack Obama as he delivered the keynote remarks at the gala, and past honorees include legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson, Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist John Legend, Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, civil rights leader Harry Belafonte, women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem, basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, entertainment and business icon Sean “Diddy” Combs, religious leader Bishop TD Jakes, and Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Vista Equity Partners.

About National Action Network (NAN)

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender.

For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net.