Anthony Pierce on Open Buffalo Emerging Leaders, Leadership Growth & Hidden Village 716

In this Open Buffalo Emerging Leaders Spotlight, host Sherman D. Webb-Middlebrooks, also known as The Full-Time Black Man and a member of the inaugural Emerging Leaders class, sits down with Brother Anthony Pierce, also known as Ace the Outsider and the Blerd King. Anthony is a Buffalo-based community leader, content creator, event curator, martial arts instructor, capoeira teacher, and founder of Hidden Village 716, a Black geek collective creating space for blerds, anime lovers, gamers, cosplayers, comic book fans, sci-fi fans, and pop culture creatives across Buffalo. In this conversation, Sherman and Anthony talk about why Anthony joined Open Buffalo’s Emerging Leaders program, what he gained from the Class of 2025 experience, and how the program helped sharpen his leadership, confidence, purpose, and community vision. They also discuss Anthony’s work with Hidden Village 716, the Wakanda Alliance, capoeira, Black martial arts, Black Panther, anime, comic books, video games, sci-fi, and the importance of seeing Black characters, Black imagination, and Black creativity represented across all forms of media. This interview is also a conversation about Blackness not being a monolith. Anthony speaks to the many ways people can be Black, lead Black, organize Black, create Black, and build community through joy, culture, fandom, movement, storytelling, and shared identity. Sherman and Anthony also reflect on the Black women in their lives who have supported, guided, challenged, and lifted them in their leadership journeys. Learn more about Hidden Village 716 at wearehiddenvillage.com. Learn more about Open Buffalo and the Emerging Leaders program at openbuffalo.org. Hosted by Sherman D. Webb-Middlebrooks The Full-Time Black Man Open Buffalo Emerging Leaders Inaugural Class