Wendell Pierce says his housing application was rejected due to racism

“Racism and bigots are real,” the “Wire” star wrote. “There are those who will do anything to destroy life’s journey for Black folks.”

Wendell Pierce is discussing a racist incident that cost him an apartment and how it connects to a widespread issue in American society.

In a series of social media posts on Monday, the Wire star shared a disturbing story about a white apartment owner rejecting his application to rent their space.

"For those of you who don’t understand my righteous anger; I’m on 2 TV series, Elsbeth and [Power Book III] Raising Kanan,” he said of his work on CBS and Starz, respectively. “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.”

That’s a pretty incredible run of projects — yet it still wasn’t enough to earn Pierce the trust he deserved.

“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,” the actor said. “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.”

The actor later clarified that he sought to use his own anecdote as a means to illustrate a larger point about the widespread systemic racism, as Pierce was disturbed by the recent appeals court decision that sided with anti-affirmative action advocates to block the private Fearless Fund from awarding grants to businesses owned by 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,” he explained. “This court decision is profoundly more disturbing and injurious.”

Related: Raising Kanan kills [Spoiler] in season 3 premiere

Pierce discussed his views on the case in another social media thread, stating that anti-affirmative action advocates seek to overturn a Reconstruction-era law that “was put in place to protect former slaves from discrimination” by arguing “that race can’t be considered at all in contractual relationships.” 

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“Private investment into Black businesses being blocked with laws in place to prevent discrimination against Black businesses,” he said. “The racist irony. Racist, bigoted, fascist Americans who burned down Black Wall Street in Tulsa 100 years ago are still alive and well.”

Pierce concluded with strong words. “It makes me sick motherf---er how far you will go to destroy our ability to live our lives in peace and prosperity," he said. “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.”

Read Pierce’s threads above.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.