The Wire cast members Gbenga Akinnagbe, Corey Parker Robinson, Jamie Hector and Clarke Peters help promote the show’s new soundtrack The Wire: And All the Pieces Matter — Five Years of Music from The Wire at the HBO Shop in NYC.
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“I’m leaving this show well-educated on the board of education and the institutions the show covered. The Wire is reality for a lot of people,“ shares actor Jamie Hector, who plays Marlo Stanfield.
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The Wire cast members share a laugh while meeting some of the show’s biggest fans.
Marion Curtis/StarPix
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“I didn’t go into this show thinking it was anything other than a job, but I came away with something much greater and fuller, and I am more understanding of what’s happening in politics in most inner cities in America," says Clarke Peters who plays Detective Lester Freamon. "I’ve come out feeling like an actor on a mission trying to tell a story that needs to be told.”
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Jamie Hector and Clarke Peters are both fans of The Wire’s music selections to help illustrate Baltimore’s toughest issues.
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“It’s been an honor to work on this show and I’m walking away with some life-long relationships with the people I have worked with. We have created a great body of work and it’s been amazing watching us grow through five seasons," says Corey Parker Robinson who plays Detective Leandor Sydnor.
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Gbenga Akinnagbe, who plays Chris Partlow on the show, is all smiles promoting The Wire’s cd.
If you’ve ever been to ESSENCE Hollywood House, you know it’s more than just a series of panels—it’s a gathering of visionaries. A space where Black creatives and leaders come together to share stories, strategies, and solutions. This year’s conversation, Let’s Talk About LA: Preserving Our City, presented by AT&T, was no different.
The discussion brought together three voices, each deeply invested in shaping LA’s future: D. Smoke, the Grammy-nominated rapper and educator; Olympia Auset, founder of SÜPRMRKT, a grocery service tackling food apartheid in LA; and DJ HED, a radio personality and advocate for independent artists. Though their paths differed, their mission was the same—creating opportunities, protecting culture, and ensuring Black spaces in LA don’t just survive but thrive.
For Olympia Ausset, the work she’s doing with SÜPRMRKT goes far beyond providing fresh groceries—it’s about laying the foundation for a stronger, healthier community. “The LA we love, the cultural beacon it’s known as today, was built by people who worked hard to create their own spaces,” she shared. “The reason I do what I do is because it’s essential. We can’t achieve any of the changes I want for my community without being in good health and having access to affordable, organic food. Without places where we can gather, heal, and support each other, none of the other goals will be possible. It starts with taking care of ourselves and building those spaces together.”
From Olympia’s focus on wellness and accessibility to DJ HED’s belief in the power of self-worth, the discussion explored what it means to dream beyond individual success and invest in collective progress. “I see a lot of people who aren’t proud of where they come from, what they look like, or where they’re at in life,” he said. “I had to learn to give myself grace, to grow. I grew up in Inglewood, raised by a single mom. We lived in a car, we were on welfare, but I knew I wanted to be bigger than my circumstances. That’s what dreaming in Black is—believing in something greater and nurturing it until it grows.”
DJ Smoke also touched on this, emphasizing the importance of intention and fulfillment. “You don’t want to climb that ladder and realize you went real high in the wrong direction,” he warned. “A lot of people in LA are ambitious, but if you don’t understand your ‘why,’ you can get to the top and still feel empty. The goal isn’t just to make it—it’s to make it mean something.
Sometimes, as Black creatives, we only dream as far as the next gig or the next check, but dreaming in Black means going beyond that. “It means thinking bigger than what’s right in front of you,” said host Donye Taylor.
This conversation was a call to action – a reminder that preserving LA’s Black culture means investing in community, honoring our history, and building a legacy that lasts.