Hurricane Katrina woke the modern black community to the racial bias and realities of our life in America. Like it or not, the reality is white people would have never been treated in the manner black folks were that were wiped out by hurricane.

When the flood that followed the levees breaking rushed into the hometown of actor Wendell Pierce, he and the people of that community got to see how corporate America feels about black folks as well. Unfortunately, their attitudes were much like the Governments, …..eh.

In 1955, Pierce parents purchased a home in a “separate, but equal” community for black people of the town in Pontchartrain Park, New Orleans. It was a wonderful place to grow up, recalls Pierce, and he felt his parents did a great job at providing.

However, when the flood hit in 2005, the entire neighborhood was wiped out. Pierce parents, neighbors and friends were devastated, sad and only wishing they could rebuild their community.

Despite paying 50 years of insurance payments to Allstate by Pierce parents, the insurance giant refused to make Pierce family home whole again. In fact, after 50 years of payment, the company only offered to pay $400 for the family who had lost everything in the flood, but their lives.

[ADSENSE2]In an interview with Democracy Now, Pierce said, “ I remember the greatest crime that ever happened, I think, was 10 years ago, when none of the large insurance companies honored the homeowner policies. My parents paid Allstate for 50 years, when they moved into Pontchartrain Park in 1955 up to the day we evacuated, and we’re still paying after the flood, because my mother said it can burn down at any time. And for those 50 years of premiums, they received $400. They said, “That’s all we’re going to pay.” There was a lawsuit, a class-action lawsuit, years later that everyone participated in to try to get some sort of mediation, and we lost the class-action suit. So, all of those insurance companies that sold insurance to my parents for years, saying that “You will be made whole. Have some flood insurance, and along with your homeowners’ insurance, when you put them together, you will be made whole,” they only gave them $400 after 50 years of paying premiums.”

Pierce said, “Allstate. Allstate. Yeah, we were in good hands, all right. It’s just those hands were squeezing around my parents’ neck.”

However, Pierce’s family wasn’t along. All the insurance companies in the area reacted the same way. They refused to payout the families whose homes were completely destroyed.

Obviously, class action lawsuits were filed, but keeping with the attitudes of black lives don’t matter in this country, they were denied and sent on their way. Families were devastated again with no recourse or actions to take.

Pierce went to work in order to rebuild the community, neighborhood and home he loved. He quickly formed the Pontchartrain Park Community Development Association and began rebuilding his childhood neighborhoods.

Pierce hopes to complete the project and give other families an opportunity to have the sort of childhood he and his two siblings did. One that was safe, loving and allowed room for young minds to grow.

Hats off to you, Mr. Wendell Pierce for being part of the solution, not the problem.

Source: Democracy Now