Bigots are real, says Wendell Pierce
Los Angeles: "Jack Ryan" star Wendell Pierce accused a white person of "racism" after the actor's application to rent an apartment in New York City was denied by the owner.
The 60-year-old, known for shows such as "The Wire" and films "Ray" and "X", said that he was turned down from a housing unit in the city's Harlem area, which is home to a predominant African American population.
"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. There are those who will do anything to destroy life's journey for Black folks. When you deny our personal experiences, you are as vile and despicable," Pierce wrote on ‘X’ on Monday.
The Tony Award winner said that he was "angry" about the treatment meted out to him considering he shared evidence of his long list of acting credits across mediums.
"For those of you who don’t understand my righteous anger; I’m on two 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 added in his post.
Next day, Pierce shared a link to a news story regarding an appeals court that blocked Atlanta-based investment firm Fearless Fund from running a grant programme for Black women.
"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. This court decision is profoundly more disturbing and injurious. Call to action," he wrote.
Previously, Pierce wrote a thread on ‘X’ about the appeals court decision, writing that "the effort being made to deny Black folks from participating in ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' is abhorrent".
"It makes me sick m*********** 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. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. For generations, we have embraced that lie as the violence against our community proves otherwise. It’s getting harder to stay in denial. America," the actor wrote in the same thread.
