Vincent “V” Pierce
Born in Newburgh, New York, Vincent Pierce is a music producer, gun violence survivor and Director of OPEN DOORS. In 2019, Vince produced his first hip-hop album, OPEN DOORS Reality Poets Vol.1., and with a grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation launched the music program ZING!, aimed to keep kids off the streets and in the studio. At the height of the pandemic he founded Nursing Home Lives Matter to protect the lives and freedoms of the primarily Black and brown residents of Coler. Vince was the only nursing home resident invited to speak before the New York State Joint Hearing on Residential Healthcare Facilities and COVID-19. In 2021, Vince presented before Congressional staff to introduce federal legislation for nursing homes. For his advocacy, he was awarded the Craig H. Neilson prize on Good Morning America.
