OLASTEO Presents the EJO Double Feature

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OLASTEO (our lives as seen through each other) is excited to present an Edward James Olmos Double Feature on Monday, December 14! The Embracing Differences Speaker Series event will kick things off from 3:30-4:15 p.m. PST.  Then, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. PST, there will be a special Stand and Deliver Watch Party. Both of these events will be accessible via Zoom.

Born and raised in East Los Angeles, California, Edward James Olmos is a legendary Mexican-American actor, director, producer, and activist. Throughout his career, Olmos has been an advocate for Latinx representation in the entertainment industry with nearly 150 acting credits to his name. A tireless champion of humanitarian causes, Olmos believes that "when you empower the youth, you're empowering the future leaders of the world" and that "education is the vaccine for violence."

"OLASTEO is honored to bring Mr. Olmos's story and perspective to our scholars and community at large. His life journey, multi-front activism, and passionate belief in the power of our youth make him the perfect voice for our December Speaker Series event," said Aaron Friedman, Executive Director and co-founder of OLASTEO.

Following the Speaker Series event, OLASTEO is hosting a virtual movie night by showcasing the classic 1988 film, Stand and Deliver, for which Olmos was the first Mexican-American nominated for an Academy Award®. The first 30 College Track Watts, College Track Boyle Heights, and The Hidden Genius Project students to register for the Watch Party will be receiving curated "snack packs' filled with goodies from culturally relevant small businesses and partners such as Tamales Elena y Antojitos, East Los Sweets, La Monarca Bakery, Pipsnacks, PathWater, and more.

About the role of playing East Los Angeles calculus teacher Jaime Escalante, whose incredible life story served as the foundation for Stand and Deliver, Olmos says, "Jaime was a brilliant man, who really did change the course for everyone he touched. He helped so many kids throughout the years. They struggled with self-esteem and self-respect and were changed by what he taught them."

Please follow OLASTEO on social media (@OLASTEO) to learn more about our December Speaker Series and Stand and Deliver Watch Party events. Registration links:

• Embracing Differences Speaker Series w/ EJO - https://register.olasteo.org/ejo 
• Stand and Deliver Watch Party - https://register.olasteo.org/ejo/watchparty 

ABOUT OLASTEO

At OLASTEO (our lives as seen through each other), our mission is to create experiences that empower students to serve as catalysts for social impact. We do this by curating a roster of influential speakers, interactive workshops, and immersive trips, which expose our scholars from the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts to a broad range of perspectives and possibilities. Since early March, we recognized our obligation to pivot quickly to a virtual landscape to continue providing enriching journeys for our student community, who feel the impact of this global pandemic much more severely than most.

Contact:

Aaron Friedman, Executive Director
OLASTEO
(504) 782-4820
[email protected] 
https://olasteo.org/

SOURCE OLASTEO