While Africans and African-Americans are still savouring the iconic speech of Burna Boy’s mother, Madam Bose at the 2019 BET awards overnight, American actor Tyler Perry also gave the BET Awards audience a powerful word which no doubt stands out as a perfect fit for a Monday Motivation.
As he stepped on stage to receive the Icon Award at the 2019 BET Awards, the movie director said his mother has been his biggest inspiration, and that his first ten films were “subconsciously about her,” and the desire for “black women to know you’re worthy, you’re special, you’re powerful.”
Speaking on the symbolism behind the location of his studio in Atlanta, Georgia, Perry said:
“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 could see that a black man did that and they could do it, too. That studio was once a Confederate Army base — and I want you to hear this — 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.”
He added:
“While everybody was fighting for a seat at the table, talking about Oscars So White, I said, ‘Y’all go ahead and do that, but while you’re fighting for a seat at the table, I’ll be down in Atlanta building my own.’ Because what I know for sure is that if I could just build this table, God would prepare it for me in the presence of my enemies. Rather than being an icon, I want to be an inspiration.”
Perry concluded his inspirational acceptance speech, by giving advice to “every dreamer in this room.”
“Own your stuff, own your business.”
See the video:
