Furious Wendell Pierce reveals 'racist' white landlord recently refused him the right to rent a Harlem apartment as he attacks 'MAGA agenda' after court decision to block funding group from only giving grants to black businesswomen

Celebrated actor Wendell Pierce revealed in a tweet that he was recently denied the right to rent an apartment in Harlem by a white landlord, despite meeting all of the requirements. 

Pierce, 60, shared the anecdote after ranting about a federal court of appeals panel, which he called part of a 'MAGA agenda,' suspending a venture capital firm's grant program for black women business owners.

The court found that a conservative group that is bringing a lawsuit against the Fearless Fund, claiming discrimination, is likely to be successful.

'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 Wire star wrote. 

'For those of you who don't understand my righteous anger; 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. 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 continued.  

The ruling against the Atlanta-based Fearless Fund is another victory for conservative groups waging a sprawling legal battle against corporate diversity programs that have targeted dozens of companies and government institutions.

The case against the Fearless Fund was brought last year by the American American Alliance for Equal Rights, a group led by Edward Blum, the conservative activist behind the Supreme Court case that ended affirmative action in college admissions.

Blum applauded the ruling, saying 'programs that exclude certain individuals because of their race such as the ones the Fearless Fund has designed and implemented are unjust and polarizing.'

Pierce had a hot take on the court's decision. 

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

The actor then mocked conservative's claimed ethos of removing the government from civilian's daily life. 

'The GOP, Right Wing, MAGA agenda is making it clear that their vision of America does not include Black folks having the same rights guaranteed by the constitution,' he said. 

'In their America we are even allowed to exercise our right of self determination and build business with their intentions to destroy them.'

'It makes me sick motherf****r 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,' he said. 

'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,' Pierce added. 

Fearless Fund CEO and Founder Arian Simone said the ruling was 'devastating' for the organizations and the women it has invested in.

'The message these judges sent today is that diversity in Corporate America, education, or anywhere else should not exist,' she said in statement. 'These judges bought what a small group of white men were selling.' 

Alphonso David, Fearless Fund's legal counsel who serves as president and CEO of The Global Black Economic Forum, said all options were being evaluated to continue fighting the lawsuit.

The legal effort to dismantle workplace diversity programs has suffered its share of setbacks as well, reflecting polarized opinions among liberal and conservative judges on the issue. 

Last week, for example, a federal district judge in Ohio dismissed a lawsuit against the insurance company Progressive and fintech platform Hello Alice challenging a program that offers grants to help Black-owned small businesses purchase commercial vehicles. 

Similar lawsuits have been dismissed against Amazon, Pfizer and Starbucks.

In a 2-1 ruling, the panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Miami found that Blum was likely to prevail in his lawsuit claiming the grant program violates section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act , which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race when enforcing contracts. 

The Reconstruction-era law was originally intended to protect formally enslaved people from economic exclusion, but anti-affirmative action activists have been leveraging it to challenge programs intended to benefit minority-owned businesses.

The appeals court panel, consisting of two judges appointed by former President Donald Trump and one appointed by former President Barack Obama, rejected the Fearless Fund's arguments that the grants are not contracts but charitable donations protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.

'The fact remains, though, that Fearless simply —and flatly — refuses to entertain applications from business owners who aren't 'black females,' the court's majority opinion said, adding 'every act of race discrimination' would be deemed expressive conduct under the Fearless Fund's argument.

Judge Robin Rosenbaum, an Obama appointee, disagreed in a blistering dissent, likening the plaintiffs' claims of harm to soccer players trying to win by 'flopping on the field, faking an injury.' 

Rosenbaum said none of the plaintiffs demonstrated that they had any real intention to apply for the grants in what she called 'cookie-cutter declarations' that were 'threadbare and devoid of substance.'