Yesterday, I watched an interview of actor Wendell Pierce on Reverend Al Sharpton’s MSNBC show. The discussion was to shed light on the case of the Fearless Fund. A venture capital fund created to provide grants to Black women owned businesses. Well, a circuit court in Miami ruled it discriminatory according to the 1866 Civil Rights Act. Of the $140 billion provided to startups only 0.5% went to Black businesses in 2023. In Mr. Pierce’s discussion, he also spoke of his experience with housing discrimination in NYC. As an actor who consistently has roles, he has a steady income. To hear that with providing proof income and offering to pay a few months rent, he was still denied. And this happended in Harlem New York. A place known for it’s rich Black history but one that has gone through gentrification.
With all of this, this is why there is a separation of July 4th and June 19th (Juneteenth). Why there is the Star-Spangled Banner and Lift Every Voice and Sing. I myself acknowledge July 4th and celebrate this country. But when so many events such as this continue to happen, this is why Juneteenth is important and needed. There are still many in this country who don’t see the separation within our country and the reasons why our protest continues. As mentioned in the interview, there are many grant programs that target specific groups. Having grants for people fighting for climate change or first-time home buyers are out there. Here you have one fund of the many in this country that focuses on a group that is often at the bottom of receiving funding and then someone pushes us back to the 1920’s.
In the video you will hear, Mr. Pierce quote a civil rights era saying that “Evil people plot, good people have to plan.” The good people are the allies. Whether that’s people at the top or just local businesses, there has to be acknowledgement that these events of discrimination is what limits our country from being the best. When one person succeeds and spreads the wealth, we all succeed. When all people are treated fairly, opportunities happen for everyone. We all can be great. Most of the violence we see in society is when you have people trying to survive in an environment that fails to support them.
To have integration of the Star-Spangled Banner and Lift Every Voice and Sing, we must understand why the latter was created. It’s a cry for justice and equality in a country that continues to support separation instead of unity. In the one week until Juneteenth, lets continue to plan because people are out here plotting. They are trying to take away what opportunities have been presented to bring fairness in our country.