Since the Civil War, Josephine Wright’s family has lived in the same house in South Carolina, and she is reluctant to leave.
Josephine Wright, an elderly woman embroiled in a legal dispute regarding her property, is being backed up by Tyler Perry.
The 93-year-old South Carolinian claimed to local news source WSAV that she is being bullied and pressured into selling her house by developers.
Wright, a grandmother of 40, great-grandmother of 50, and great-great-grandmother of 16, told WSAV that her Hilton Head house is “where I want to be at this age” and that she will fight anyone who tries to prevent her from being there.
I’ve pretty much always been a fighter, Wright told the publication.
According to the source, Wright’s family has lived in her house since the Civil War’s end. Relatives of her spouse were former slaves who were set free by Union troops.
Currently, a land development company behind Wright’s home has filed a lawsuit, claiming that a portion of the house is on their property, according to WSAV.
She stated of the developers, “I think they figured I would get so freaked out by the harassment that I would say take it. They don’t know me, though. To defend what I have, I’m here.
When PEOPLE asked an investment group representative for a remark, they did not react right away.
Hollywood has now learned of the brave South Carolinian’s struggle, and 53-year-old director and philanthropist Perry has taken notice.
He shared the WSAV report on Wright’s battle on Instagram and expressed his support.
The actor used Wright’s quotation (“I’ve pretty much been a fighter all my life”) in his caption and penned, “Ms. Wright, please tell where to show up and what you need to help you fight.”
A number of celebrities, like Meek Mill and Fantasia Barrino, praised Perry’s support and promised their own.
“This is the pinnacle of corporate bullying—super hero status!” In the comments, Mill remarked, and Barrino added, “I will stand with you as well Tyler.”
Perry, who was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2021 Oscars, had already used his riches to assist senior persons in keeping their houses.
According to a source, Perry gave $750,000 in February to help save low-income elders in Atlanta from being displaced.
The donation will also include around $500,000 donated each year over the following five years, according to the source. The donation is intended to freeze property taxes for a group of senior inhabitants of the Georgia capital over the next 20 years.
