Tyler Perry was recently featured on a new edition of People Magazine amid the surge of Black Lives Matter protests across the country and a re-energized discussion about racial inequality.
In the issue, the filmmaker shared his thoughts on racial injustice in America and police brutality in a heartfelt essay written for People magazine.
According to People Magazine when it reached out to Tyler Perry for the essay he had said no at first.
“I’m exhausted from all the hate and the division, the vitriol that I see online from one to another. I’m exhausted from seeing these kinds of senseless murders play out over and over again with no changes in our society,” Perry said, explaining why he had refused initially.
Perry condemns police brutality
Tyler Perry also expressed his sadness while speaking about George Floyd, the black man who was killed after a white policeman knelt on his neck while attempting to arrest him.
“The level of racism and brutality that George Floyd faced is something that we as black people know all too well. When I saw that video, I had so many raw, guttural emotions. I felt for him and his family, I felt for all of us as black people. I felt for my five-year-old son. As I watched with tears in my eyes, it brought back a flood of years of emotions from carrying what feels like the weight of racism on my neck.”
Further in the piece, Tyler Perry revealed that he was contemplating how to explain racism to his son Aman. And when that tough conversation does eventually happen, he wants to inform him that “progress is made in small steps.” He said:
“I know that as his father, a black man in America. It is my duty to prepare him for the harsh reality that awaits him; outside of the watchful eyes of his loving parents. It will be a hard, heartbreaking conversation but one that I must have and will have soon.”
At the end of the interview, Tyler Perry leaves a message of hope. He says the death of George Floyd and the world’s reaction to it was “a sign of daybreak” and “he knew that morning was coming”.