Speakers

Wendell Pierce was born in New Orleans and raised in a neighborhood next to Lake Pontchartrain. He attended the Juilliard School and began appearing in small film roles by 1985. He has made his living as a full time actor, continuing to work as both a stage and a TV actor. He was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the role in 2007.  He is best known for his role as Detective William "Bunk" Moreland in the highly acclaimed series The Wire.  Prior to The Wire, he is most recognized from his role in Waiting to Exhale.  Wendell has been very active in rebuilding the Ninth Ward following its destruction by Hurricane Katrina and formed the Pontchartrain Park Community Development Corporation to help the historic African American neighborhood where he grew up.