“Elsbeth” Actor Wendell Pierce Says His N.Y.C. Housing Application was Rejected Due to Racism
“Even with my proof of employment, bank statements and real estate holdings, a white apartment owner DENIED my application to rent the apartment,” Pierce wrote on X
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Wendell Pierce in January 2024Wendell Pierce is claiming his housing application for a Harlem, N.Y. apartment was denied due to racism.
The Elsbeth actor, 60, took to X to explain the incident on Monday, June 3.
“For those of you who don’t understand my righteous anger; I’m on 2 TV series, ELSBETH and RAISING KANAN,” he wrote. “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. 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 said that he decided to share his experience on X after finding out that an Atlanta-based investment firm’s grant program for Black women was blocked by a federal appeals court.
The Tony nominee shared a link to The Wall Street Journal’s coverage on the issue and wrote, “URGENT: 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.”
In a different post on X, he added, “A private investment firm the Fearless Fund, has been blocked from investing in businesses owned by Black women. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling, sided with a challenge to the grant program, arguing it violated a Reconstruction-era civil-rights law, known as Section 1981, that prohibits discrimination in contracts.”
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Wendell Pierce in March 2024The Suits alum opened up about experiencing the alleged discrimination during a June 4 interview with The Daily Beast.
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“It was a call to action for me. It infuriated me, but I realized that that meant nothing if I didn’t try to shed light on it, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” he told the outlet.
PEOPLE reached out to a representative for Pierce, but the actor declined to comment.
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