Source: Michael Loccisano / Getty
Tracy Morgan kept it lowkey when he returned to his old stomping grounds in Bedford Stuyvesant last week. It was for a great cause, too.
On Nov. 6, the comedian surprised locals attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new multi-million dollar community center at Marcy Houses, causing a welcomed frenzy as soon as he was spotted at the event.
What a feeling to be among community members and leaders who have worked so hard to fulfill this project 20 years in the making.
Today, we cut the ribbon at Marcy Houses Community Center.
Thanks to @RCornegyJr, @NYCMayorsOffice, and a surprise visit from @TracyMorgan. pic.twitter.com/ks0xfVUkdM
— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) November 6, 2020
The Brooklyn Paper reports that the 3,200 square foot center was a two-year construction project at Marcy Avenue and Walton Street that built office space, two activity rooms, four bathrooms, and a community kitchen to service over 4,000 Marcy residents in the area.
Funding for the center was a collaborative effort facilitated by Bedford-Stuyvesant Councilman Robert Cornegy with a $4.6 million grant from Mayor de Blasio, and a $1.5 million allotment from Borough President Eric Adams.
He says he will be back! Exclusive tour with @TracyMorgan of a new $14 million dollar community center at the Marcy houses thanks to @rcornegyjr@nycmayor and @ericadamsfornyc they together made it happen. @pix11news#monicamakesithappenpic.twitter.com/32iq3UwFV0
— Monica Morales (@monicamoralestv) November 7, 2020
Cornegy just so happens to be pals with Morgan, which explains why the comic popped-up and presented his friend with a chain from “The Last O.G.,” his hit television TBS show that filmed in the area.
.@TracyMorgan knows what a difference the Marcy Houses Community Center will
make in the lives of the kids who call @NYCHA home because he was one of those kids.We didn’t know you’d be joining us today, Tracy, but I’m so glad you did. pic.twitter.com/kAR5oPnXHX
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) November 6, 2020
Morgan, a former resident of the nearby Tompkins Houses, reflected on the event and his own humble beginnings as a child growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
“I had people to talk to when I was feeling a certain way, that’s why I’m where I’m at now,” Morgan said after showing up to the event unannounced in a Rolls Royce. “When young people don’t have that, that’s why they end up pregnant at 16, or doing 25-to-life, they didn’t have nobody to talk to, they succumbed to the pressures of it.”
The Brooklynite is no stranger to helping out causes his old neighborhood. In 2019 he donated $215,000 to renovate a playground at Marcy Park giving the area new asphalt, fresh backboards for basketball hoops and a fresh mural. Days before that, he also partnered with Power 105.1 radio personality Angela Yee and local food vendors to host a block party to promote the new renovation.
In other news, a fan randomly spotted the “30 Rock” actor at a stoplight in The Bronx recently. He was hard to miss given the flashy car and N.O.R.E.’s “Nothin” blasting from the speakers.
😭😭 on Grand Concourse and Fordham?? Lol pic.twitter.com/wnRKYGY5kI
— Squidward Quincy Tentacles (@HeadNotTooThere) November 12, 2020
