August 21, 2024
Although Pierce acknowledged that voters should ask about her record, he also admonished those who don’t think the Democrats have done anything for Black people.
Wendell Pierce Jr, an actor known for his roles in The Wire, Suits, and Waiting To Exhale spoke to MSNBC’s Joy Reid at the Democratic National Convention and used his time to implore Black men to cast their votes for Vice President Kamala Harris come November.
"There's blood on that ballot box. For them. Do them the honor and vote." Famed actor @WendellPierce spoke to Joy Reid at #DNC2024CHICAGO about the historic nature of Vice President Kamala Harris' nomination with a special message for Black men.
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According to The Hill, Pierce told Reid, “There’s blood on that ballot box. Remember those who died in the rivers of Alabama and Mississippi. For them, do the honor and vote. Any Black man that has an issue with a Black woman rising, they have to look at their own inadequacy,” Pierce said.
Pierce then turned his attention even more directly to Black men, urging them to get behind Harris. “What would make you so fearful of someone who was so beloved of you, who was so loving to you, like your mother and your grandmother and your aunts and your sisters, that you cannot be proud and embolden yourself when you see someone from your community rise up?”
Although Pierce acknowledged that voters should ask about her record, he also admonished those who don’t think the Democrats have done anything for Black people, pointing to student loan forgiveness, investments in HBCUs, and the $2 billion in funding provided to Black farmers after years of discrimination from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“If that’s not enough for you to vote for this campaign, why don’t you go to the other and hold up a sign behind him at a rally and tap dance? That’s what they want.” Pierce said.
According to Capital B News, Black men in Georgia are more enthusiastic about voting for Vice President Harris than they were President Joe Biden as indicated by a focus group of Black men organized by political strategist Leo Smith to gauge Black men’s feelings about Harris.
James Jackson, a 74-year-old Black man, told the outlet that he was concerned about Trump either attempting to become a dictator or implementing Project 2025 upon his election.
“I don’t really have a choice. I’m voting for a person I believe is going to lead this country and at least give us an opportunity to readjust and move this democracy forward.” Jackson said.
John Taylor, the co-founder of the Black Male Initiative Georgia, a non-profit that does work around voter engagement specializing in Black men, told the outlet that Harris has brought a spark to the race.
“She’s not boring,” Taylor said. “It brings the entire debate around the election cycle a little bit more energy, a little bit more life.”
He also said that the Democratic Party as a whole needed to reach out to Black men in the same way they do Black women.
“If you don’t spend the resources to target our population with a message that actually matters to us, then we’re probably not going to turn out to vote.”
Asante, meanwhile, an IT professional and a naturalized citizen from Ghana, told Capital B that he believes that now is the time for America’s first Black woman president.
“I definitely want America to be able to get over that barrier. We’ve gone past the Black part,” Asante added, referring to the election of Barack Obama. “Let’s get the woman part out of the way.”
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