Wendell Pierce is defending his “righteous anger” about racism, detailing a personal situation in which he says he was denied an apartment because of his race.
The award-winning actor has graced countless Broadway stages and starred in iconic TV shows like “The Wire,” but shared Monday that, even so, he was rejected as a potential tenant at a New York City apartment building — in gentrified Harlem.
“For those of you who don’t understand my righteous anger;” Pierce wrote Monday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I’m on 2 TV series, ELSBETH and RAISING KANAN. I’m filming SUPERMAN. Two years ago, I finished the fourth season of JACK RYAN.”
“Last year I finished a run on Broadway in DEATH OF A SALESMAN,” he continued. “Even with my proof of employment, bank statements and real estate holdings, a white apartment owner DENIED my application to rent the apartment…..in Harlem, of all places. Racism and bigots are real.”
“The Wire,” which spurred Pierce’s career, famously tackled systemic racism and political corruption.
The actor argued on social media Monday that some people just want to “destroy life’s journey for Black folks.” He used his experience as an example of the ongoing problem of racism after an appeals court blocked investments in businesses owned by Black women.
Pierce shared a Wall Street Journal article Monday on X about the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling to block Fearless Fund, an Atlanta-based investment firm attempting to fight economic inequality by running a grant program for Black women.
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
The ruling sided with Edward Blum, a conservative litigant opposed to diversity efforts like affirmative action, who argued that considering race violates Section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act — which was passed to shield former slaves from discrimination in the first place.
“It makes me sick motherfucker how far you will go to destroy our ability to live our lives in peace and prosperity,” Pierce wrote on X. “Attacked in schools, attacked by police, attacked for expecting to live the stated values of this country, and attacked when successful in business.” The actor slammed conservatives who purport to support less government but then interfere in the lives of minorities.
His comments have sparked conversation on social media about racial bias — and Pierce discussed his rental rejection and the court case Tuesday on CNN.
“While I appreciate the response to my own personal experience of discrimination in housing, I only mentioned it as an example of the insidious nature of bigotry,” he wrote on X. “This court decision is profoundly more disturbing and injurious. A CALL TO ACTION.”
(this story has not been edited by TSA Mag staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
