TCNJ

27 WINTER 2022 The Lucas Brothers haven't won an Academy Award (yet!), but when they do, they'll be sure to thank their mom, Mary Lucas, before the exit music cues. "She was a single mom in Newark, it was tough," says Kenny. "At any moment our mom could have just given up, and she never did." Mary Lucas, who joined her sons on campus in October, says she was just trying to survive and the boys saved her. "They gave me someone to love," she says. That's not to say raising them was easy. She admits that she has just as much trouble as anyone else in telling the twins apart. "I used to write their names on their shoes," she says. "And I couldn't wait for one of them to lose a tooth so I could tell from their smiles." Spoiler alert: They each lost their first tooth within hours of each other. As only a mom can do, she jokes about them being "so ugly" as babies. "They were 3-pound preemies, with these big heads and little bodies," she says. And never did she expect them to be comedians. "They were the nerdiest kids, always reading," she says. "And they had a trunk full of little wrestling figurines they played with." Still, she beams with pride when asked about their life today. "To be where they are now, it's really against the odds, especially for Black men," she says. "It's a dream come true for me." " WE'D LIKE TO THANK OUR MOM ..." MOM AUNT CATHY The brothers as infants (even their mom can't identify who is who), and Keith (left) and Kenny Lucas in New York.

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