Actor Wendell Pierce took to X, aka Twitter, to express his outrage following a recent court decision that reminded him of an incident with a white landlord in Harlem.
Pierce, a veteran character actor who's starred on shows like The Wire and Jack Ryan, said he was rejected for an apartment in the neighborhood, an iconic place in Black history that was a vibrant center of African-American culture until it began to rapidly gentrify in the 2000s.
Pierce says he was denied housing despite currently starring on two television shows and having proof of both income and extensive investment holdings
In his tweet, Pierce lambasted the landlord for rejecting him, which he chalked up to the illegal racial discrimination often encountered by minorities when looking for housing.
Pierce, who currently stars in the series Elspeth and Raising Kanan, tweeted:
"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."
"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."
Pierce's post was not just venting, however.
As he explained on CNN, it was meant to illustrate the difficulties even wealthy, famous Black Americans face following an absurd June 3 appeals court decision that ruled an Atlanta investment fund's Black-led business initiative is unconstitutional.
The judge ruled the firm's Fearless Fund, a business incubator for Black women meant to address economic inequality, was in violation of the Civil Rights Act, which itself was passed to shield former slaves from discrimination.
The lawsuit was brought by Edward Blum, a far-right conservative anti-affirmative action activist.
Pierce went on to further address the case and the issues surrounding it in a follow-up tweet, in which he wrote:
“It makes me sick motherfu*ker how far you will go to destroy our ability to live our lives in peace and prosperity."
"Attacked in schools, attacked by police, attacked for expecting to live the stated values of this country, and attacked when successful in business.”
Pierce's words certainly made an impact—he received an outpouring of furious commiseration after telling his story.
Pierce returned to X to clarify that his experience with the landlord isn't the point; the virulent racism of the "MAGA agenda" displayed in incidents like the Fearless Fund decision is far more important.
Many whole-heartedly agreed with him, with several pointing out the inherent hypocrisy of the court decision.
Here's hoping we get our act together and vote appropriately in November. We've gone backwards far enough.
