Actor, producer, director and community activist Edward James Olmos will present We’re All in the Same Gang at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 25, in the Bone Student Center Braden Auditorium. The presentation will be followed by an 8:15 p.m. meet-and-greet. The event is free and open to the public. Prior to the public lecture, Olmos will be available for a Q&A in Milner Library at 3 p.m.
Olmos received an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for his role as Lt. Castillo in the Miami Vice television series. He received an Oscar nomination for his role as Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver, a Tony nomination for his role in the musical play Zoot Suit and a Golden Globe for his work in the HBO film The Burning Season, a film about Brazilian political activist Chico Mendes. Most recently, Olmos starred as Commander Adama on the critically-acclaimed show Battlestar Galactica.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Olmos launched a nationwide multimedia project called Americanos: Latino Life in the United States, a celebration of Latino culture through photography, film, music and the printed word. The project, co-sponsored by Time Warner Inc., was designed to inspire Latino pride and to build bridges among Latinos and others. Americanos included a five-year traveling photography exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution, a music CD featuring Latino artists, a documentary that aired on HBO, and a book co-edited by Olmos of essays, photos and commentary by today’s most notable figures in the Hispanic community.
While his acting roles have brought him fame and acclaim, Olmos is also a dedicated philanthropist who has taken a special interest in the problems facing youth. He serves as executive director of the Lives in Hazard Educational Project, a national gang prevention program funded by the U.S. Department of Justice that was cited by former Attorney General Janet Reno and former President Bill Clinton as “one of the foremost programs of its kind.” He is also a U.S. Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and played an instrumental role in the clean-up efforts after the Los Angeles riots. Olmos is also a national spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and has worked with David Rockefeller of the Rockefeller Foundation.
