Speaking Up for Nursing Home Residents of All Ages

It’s easy to forget that not all nursing home residents are elders – and Vincent Pierce is dedicated to making sure leaders, advocates, and the general public remember.

Pierce, a resident of the Coler nursing community on Roosevelt Island in New York City, wears many hats. He’s the founder of Nursing Home Lives Matter, an advocacy group formed during the yearlong COVID lockdown that robbed him and his fellow Coler residents of connection and convivium. He’s a poet, musician, and music producer. He’s the director of OPEN DOORS, an organization that uses art to connect and empower Black and brown people living with disabilities – especially those who, like him, fell victim to gun violence – and inspire young people to pursue their dreams.

And most recently, he’s one of the subjects of “Fire Through Dry Grass,” a powerful documentary that takes viewers inside Coler during the worst of the pandemic – and challenges viewers to fight for the rights of nursing home residents, no matter their age or condition.

Learn more about Nursing Home Lives Matter: https://www.opendoorsnyc.org/nhlm

Explore the work of OPEN DOORS: https://www.opendoorsnyc.org/

Stream “Fire Through Dry Grass” via PBS: https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/firethroughdrygrass/