Where in the world could you get mogul Tyler Perry and legendary congressman John Lewis in the same room? And billionaire Oprah Winfrey and the iconic Rep. Maxine Waters? And Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson and civil rights hero Ambassador Andrew Young?
At the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, of course.
The crème de la crème of Hollywood and Washington, D.C. lit up the former Confederate Army base like Christmas Eve just south of downtown Atlanta to pay homage to the first-ever Black-owned studio in American history.
Cloaked in a white tuxedo jacket that was offset a black shirt and black bowtie, Tyler Perry was able to bathe in the love of the dozens of celebrities who came to bestow honor to the multifaceted director, producer and now real estate mogul.
That love was seen in an endless cavalcade of A-listers included Winfrey, Jackson, Halle Berry, Cicely Tyson, Terrence Howard, Ava DuVernay, Tina and Richard Lawson, Colin Kaepernick, Jeezy, Jeannie Mai, Patti LaBelle, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Hank Aaron, Phylicia Rashad, Ludacris, Whoopi Goldberg and dozens others who helped christen Perry’s sprawling and spectacular 330-acre studio.
Also, even though Beyoncé did not walk the red carpet, the pop goddess made a surprise appearance inside the event, taking multiple selfies with fans such as this one below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Q0YTgBqxN/?utm_source=ig_embed
Oprah, as she is most often called, acted like a proud new mother as she described how she felt about this moment.
“He didn’t wait for other people to validate or to say you should go this way or that way. He said I’m going to create my own way and as we can see here, become a force for himself,” she said excitedly on the red carpet, according to the Associated Press.
Davis, who was with her husband Julian Tennon, summarized the overall sentiment succinctly with this simple but powerful nugget.
“This is why you need to dream big and not settle for leftovers,” Davis told rolling out.
Check out some of the photos from this momentous occasion by flipping the page:
