American actor, screenwriter and producer, Tyler Perry today announced that he has donated $1 million to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to memorialize the 100th anniversary of the civil rights group.
Tyler Perry has been a very successful actor and his movies have grossed nearly $400 million world wife. Last year alone, it is estimated that he made close to $125 million as the first black film maker to possess a major TV and film studio. Tyler has had a lot of success in business and has had several successful TV shows, a bestselling book and a number of flourishing stage plays.
Tyler dropped out of school at the age of 16 but worked very hard to achieve his dream. Among Tyler’s close friends include Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.
Spokesperson for the NAACP said the gift is very welcome at a critical time in the organizations history. In an announcement, Perry stated that the determination of many people within the NAACP helped establish the way for success of many black Americans in the American art and film industry.
NAACP leaders say the financial donation is a major deviation in black philanthropy. In the past such big donations have not gone to civil right groups. For the NAACP, the gift may help solve financial issues but the agency still does not know what the future holds.
This is not the first time Tyler Perry has performed charity. In July 2009, Perry paid for 65 children from a Philadelphia day camp to fly to Walt Disney World after discovering that the Valley Swim Club in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. had discriminated against the children because of color. That incident made Perry write on his website, “I want them to know that for every act of evil that a few people will throw at you, there are millions more who will do something kind for them.”