Actor Wendell Pierce told The Daily Beast why he shared a "disgusting" racist incident.
Tony-nominee Wendell Pierce surprised many when he shared on his Twitter last night how he faced discrimination from a white landlord while trying to rent.apartmentIn Harlem last year. The star of successful shows like "The Wire" and "Elisabeth," who received a Tony nomination in 2023 for his lead role in "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway, shared this story to illustrate that racism affects people of color regardless of their status in society.
"For those who do not understand my righteous anger... Even with proof of employment, bank statements, and..."real estateThe white landlord REJECTED my rental application.apartments“In Harlem, all the places!” wrote Pierce. “Racism and bias are phenomena that exist. There are people who are willing to do anything to destroy the lives of Black individuals. When you refuse to acknowledge our experiences, you are just as vile and disgusting.”
Pierce's followers were literally shocked that such a successful person as he is still subjected to discriminatory treatment, reminiscent of Jim Crow practices. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast, the actor shared what prompted him to tell this deeply personal story after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a district court ruling and upheld the American Alliance for Equal Rights against the Fearless Fund. This decision effectively blocked the fund from financing businesses owned by Black women in the Atlanta area, claiming it would cause "irreparable harm."
According to Pierce, he shared his story as a personal example of how destructive and hidden biases and racism can be, deeply rooted in society. He noted that this incident reminded him of a phrase from the civil rights movement.
“When evil people make plans, good people take action,” Pierce said in an interview. “This became a call to action for me. I felt very hurt, but I realized that it doesn’t mean anything if I don’t try to bring attention to it, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”
“The law was enacted to protect former slaves from discrimination. Edward Blum, an opponent of affirmative action, argues that the text of the law means that race cannot be considered in contractual relationships,” Pierce wrote on X. “Private funding is being blocked by the courts. THIS IS NOT TAXPAYER MONEY.”
Private investments in Black-owned businesses are hindered by laws designed to prevent discrimination. Thisracist irony", he added. "Racist, biased, fascist Americans who burned Black Wall Street in Tulsa 100 years ago are still alive and thriving."
He was struck by the extent to which some are willing to destroy the possibility of living in peace and prosperity.
Pierce explained that he would understand if the decision concerned public funds, but the refusal of private funding would harm many organizations. "This means that every Black church that wants to help a child from its community is doing something illegal. If a group of women engineers wants to help young women get scholarships for studies in the sciences, that's illegal," Pierce said. "If a business sees a benefit in reaching out to HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) and hiring students who graduate from there, they claim that it's illegal. This sets a precedent that I feel is happening quietly, very discreetly from people who do not wish for our well-being."
Pierce described this decision as one of the most“destructive”In history, he noted that if such a policy is applied to firms providing grants for businesses owned by Black women, the same should apply to companies like J.P. Morgan, which privately manages a food program, and ExxonMobil, which receives tax benefits due to its activities in the oil industry. "In my field, 33% of tax credits are given to Hollywood studios for production in Louisiana, Georgia, and many other states. Oil companies receive subsidies for exploration and drilling. TAX DOLLARS ARE GIVEN AS CORPORATE WELFARE," he wrote on his Twitter. "But when a private investor wants to invest in Black women investors, the racist agenda of the right aims to destroy any economic development in the Black community. As a businessman, I see this asbrutal personal attack“Venture capital, denied by the court.”
According to the information on their website, the American Alliance for Equal Rights believes that "the ancient belief that served as the foundation for our country's civil rights laws is the principle that a person's race should not be used to help or harm them in their life endeavors." However, nowhere on the site is it mentioned how systemic racism has been implemented to prevent the achievements of specific groups of people and how access to equality can become a tool for compensating for these discriminatory practices.
“Programs that exclude certain individuals based on race, such as those developed and implemented by the Fearless Fund, are unfair and polarizing,” noted Edward Blum, president of the American Alliance for Equal Rights and an opponent of affirmative action, following the decision, according to the Wall Street Journal. “A significant majority of all Americans believe that a person's race should not be a factor in our nation's public policies.”
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