By DANIELLE HESTER
The UNITY News

Wendell Pierce is known for his role as the lovable character Michael Davenport in the film “Waiting to Exhale.” He also played William “Bunk” Moreland, an outspoken homicide detective, on the HBO police drama series “The Wire.”

Both were memorable characters. But for Pierce, the devastation to his hometown of New Orleans was more memorable than any role he has played.

Pierce, 45, was raised in Pontchartrain Park, a middle-class African-American neighborhood established in the 1950s. His parents were among the first residents to live there 50 years ago.

Pontchartrain Park was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Three years later, lagging redevelopment prompted Pierce to create the Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Association to help rebuild the area. There’s no political motive to the effort, Pierce said. He just wants to make sure the neighborhood thrives.

Recently Pierce, who now lives in Los Angeles, was in Chicago to work on a documentary related to Louisiana. He sat down this week with some members of the UNITY student project.

Q: How is your neighborhood now?
A: “This month we’ll get out the first batch of homes - about 112 - to redevelop in the neighborhood.”

Q: How does someone who is a hurricane victim reestablish and rebuild their life?

A: “First you count on all those things that are a foundation of your life in the first place. Family and love are very important. Being courageous — acting in the face of fear and not in the absence of it is very important.”

Q: What message would you give an aspiring journalist?
A: “Journalism is the place where you can have an impact in making sure the things with great importance get out to people.”

topic: Current Events

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 at 12:14 am and is filed under Current Events, Print. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.