The Stone Soup Leadership Institute
presents the first Cesar Chavez Award
to Edward James Olmos
Los Angeles, CA on November 3, 2002
(Scroll down for the LA Media Advisory - Messenger of Hope)
You are invited to join us in honoring Edward James Olmos. On Nov. 3, Mayor
James Hahn and Paul Chavez are presenting Mr. Olmos the Stone Soup Leadership
Institute's first Cesar Chavez award. The event is at 1:00 p.m. at the Latino
Book & Family Festival at the LA Convention Center.
A close friend of Cesar Chavez, Eddie has carried on his legacy of serving his
fellowman and passing it onto future generations. Early on, the Latino actor
and activist used his head, heart and talent to find ways to succeed so others
could one day follow. Known for his big heart, Eddie often challenges others
to share theirs. After the LA riots in 1992, he galvanized people from across
the city to unite in cleaning up the rubble. With the simple but powerful
gesture of holding up a broom and a dustpan on TV, he invited all who were
watching to join him, to take to the streets and clear away the debris.
The stories in Stone Soup for the World are a testament to the Latino
tradition of giving back. One of the most important gifts we can give
our children is to read stories about those who went before them. Our
children need to know about the sacrifices Cesar Chavez and others made
for them, and their responsibility to give back to future generations. Who
will they learn this from -- if not from us? With 31 million Hispanic people
in America, we can create a great future. My hope is that after reading
these stories each one of you will be inspired to move beyond what you think
is possible by helping each other take ownership of your lives and your
futures. I can almost hear Cesar's words: "Si se puede! Yes, we can!"
From introduction to Pan Y Vino Para El Camino by Edward James Olmos
The Celebration of Heroes Campaign honors everyday heroes, passes on
their legacy and ignites the heroic spirit in people around the world. This
fall, the Institute will present awards at events in Oakland (Nov.1), Los
Angeles (Nov. 2) and New York (Nov. 13) to everyday heroes featured in
the book, "Stone Soup for the World: Life-Changing Stories of Everyday
Heroes" (Random House 2002). The LA Book & Family Festival is the premiere
event for the book, Pan Y Vino Para El Camino.
Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown is kicking off the Campaign by presenting the
Stone Soup Community Hero Award to Oakland Fire Captain Ray
Gatchalian. On Nov. 13, Walter Cronkite will present the first Gandhi
Award to Muhammad Yunus, The Grameen Bank; Trude Lash presents the Eleanor
Roosevelt Award to Marietta Goco, Philippines Presidential Commission to
Fight Poverty and Mayor Richard Bloomberg presents the Stone Soup Community
Hero Award of New York City to Steve Mariotti, National Foundation for
Teaching Entrepreneurship. JetBlue is the official airline sponsor for the
Celebration of Heroes Campaign.
The Stone Soup Leadership Institute, a 501 c3 educational organization,
develops educational tools, programs and events that honor everyday heroes
and train future and emerging leaders to work together to build a better
world. Founded in 1997, the Institute moved to the Bay Area in 2001.
For more information, please call: 415-646-0416 or email: soup4world@aol.com
Los Angeles Media Advisory:
Messenger of Hope
People thought he had lost his mind when he chose to film American Me on East LA's most
dangerous streets. But growing up in East LA's barrio of Boyle Heights, Edward James
Olmos never did follow the rules; he was more likely to create them. Early on, the
Latino actor and activist used his head, heart and talent to find ways to succeed so
others could one day follow. He carefully chose his acting roles so he could set an
example for his people and teach them powerful lessons. As Don Johnson's firm, but
fair, Lieutenant Martin Castillo in Miami Vice, he earned great respect. Then he
played the tough math teacher, Jaime Escalante, in Stand and Deliver, who taught
the lost youth of East LA how to earn respect.
When he was ready to direct his first film, he wanted to deliver a strong anti-drug
and anti-gang message to kids in the barrios--so he went right back to East LA. Using
real gang members as extras and crew, Eddie showed the world the painfully honest
reality of their brief, violent lives. For many of these kids, their only ambition
was to one day go to San Quentin or Folsom Prison. "They go from being street wise
gang members into prison. When they get out, they think they can start their lives," Eddie
says. "They don't see alternatives to the gang life. Without skills and jobs hardto
come by, kids start dealing to make a buck--and gangs control that world," he adds.
Eddie decide to give these young people real jobs, with a real future--and an
opportunity to break out of the "gangbanger" world. He also wanted to show the
little ones -- the ones who see everything -- that people who look just like them
can succeed and make their dreams come true in a healthy, positive way. "Kids in
East LA, like any kids need hope. You get hope by having opportunity to see a
future, and right now it looks pretty dark," Eddie says adding "I think that role
models are the most important thing in these kids' lives now."
Eddie has been blessed by role models who showed him that helping others is a way of
life--and he carries this tradition on within his own family. His mother, Eleanor,
worked for 15 years in the LA County General Hospital AIDS Ward and his father,
Pedro, helped coordinate Little League baseball in East LA. His actress wife,
Lorraine Bracco, volunteers for a group that provides housing for disabled adults,
and their six children helped paint murals in LA inner city schools. "It's all a
labor of love," Eddie says.
Known for his big heart, Eddie often challenges others to share theirs. After the
LA riots in 1992, he galvanized people from across the city to unite in cleaning up
the horrific rubble. With the simple but powerful gesture of holding up a broom and
a dustpan on TV, he invited all who were watching to join him, to take to the streets,
day after day, and clear away the debris. Then at the 1994 Democratic National
Convention, he challenged the entire nation to join in: "It is the task of all
caring adults to be messengers of hope to these disenfranchised youth," he said.
Eddie has become a messenger of hope for thousands of Latino teens like George
Sarabia.
Before he met Eddie, George had only one goal in life: coming back from prison a
hero, having earned his "stripes." At the young age of 21, he'd been in a gang
for 7 years, been shot and lost his brother, Javier, to gang violence. At first,
when he was offered a small part in American Me, he refused -- afraid of betraying
his brother's memory. But then he thought of his four younger brothers, all living
in jail. "If I'm not able to forgive, when will it ever stop?" he asked himself. His
decision to work with Eddie and his team was the turning point in his life.
"Eddie helped turn our community upside down," George says. "He treated me like a
human being, and gave me an opportunity to help and responsibility -- for cleaning
up the graffitti." Working with Eddie's team on Lives of Hazard inspired George
to begin a new career producing educational videos. "It was as if he took me by the
hand and showed me a different life," he says.
By filming scenes from American Me right in East LA's streets and at Folsom Prison,
full of dangerous inmates, Eddie helped demystify the glamour of the gang world. While
he got his message across to the young actors, he soon realized it wasn't enough. Even
before American Me was released, two of the young men from the film crew were killed by
rival gangs. And then the 1992 LA Riots nearly destroyed South Central LA. Eddie
decided he had to do something more. Eddie thought that if other young people could
see what they learned from gang members who helped make American Me, they might decide
to change their ways. After convincing the U.S. Department of Justice to fund an
educational documentary, Eddie and his team created a real life drama behind the making
of the movie. Named after the Hazard Grande bario and the Big Hazard gang,
they called it Lives in Hazard depicting the strange and tragic choices these
young people are forced to make. They also created a study guide and national
resource guide of organizations, to give teachers, counselors and ministers the
practical tools they need to help help "at risk" youth. The team now travels
across the country sharing the film with teenagers, giving them the chance to
talk about the social power of gangs. "These young people just want to make a
mark on the world. They're in search of identity, a sense of belonging," Eddie
says adding, "We each have the need to belong. It's an instinctual part of being human."
Whether speaking at schools, churches, jails and juvenile halls, Eddie's message
is the same: "My hope is that after watching Lives in Hazard , each of you will be
inspired to move beyond what you think is possible for your communities by helping,
each other take ownership of your lives and your futures."
Gil Espinozo is another young man who now has a more hopeful future, thanks to his
experience with Lives of Hazard. After working as a production assistant on the
film, he got a job working for a casting director for a film company. His experience
gave him more than just on-the-job training -- it provided him with a healthy place to
belong, instead of from a gang. " I spend a lot of time at the theater," he says. "They
are like a family to me, they accept me for what I am and I like that."
When Eddie is praised for his work, he always gives credit to the "real heroes" like
Father Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest who works with young people in East LA's Dolores
Mission Church. "I've had to bury and say good-bye to 31 young men and women, all
killed in this madness called gang-banging," Father Boyle says. "These were kids I
knew well, who were warm, unique and full of potential. They should not have died
so young."
One young woman who lost her son to gang violence told Father Boyle "all this violence
is about people who are in pain and feel disconnected from each other." But more is
needed. "We need to "show up" in these kids lives," Father Boyle says. "Adults need
to "show up" and pay loving attention to these kids. Employers need to "show up"
with jobs for them. Health care professionals need to "show up" with compassion
and understanding. Leaders and legislators need to "show up" with a plan to remedy
diminished resources in this country. What we could never accomplish alone, we
will be able to do together. As a community, we can help these young people imagine
a better future, and then lead them into it, with confidence and hope."
Young people like George and Gil are now using their life experiences to create better
futures for themselves as well as others. At 27, George now runs a non-profit
organization, Inner City Focus which creates violence prevention programming that
is shown in five of LA's housing developments through a local cable company. Taking
a moment out of his busy life, he pauses to think about his mother, and those who
never gave up on him . "Before she diedof cancer last year, she got to see that I have
a good life--that I'm married and have a family," he says. "She was happy to know her
son had chosen to walk the other way."
Knowing that young people often listen better to someone their own age, Eddie sometimes
invites George and Gil to share their story--andtheir message -- with other young
people. "We all have choices," Gil tells them. "You can do whatever you want to do. You
don't have to prove anything to anyone, just to yourself." Then he pauses for a moment and
says, with quiet intensity, "Think about it. What you could do. What you could be."
Whatever you can do to uplift the life of a child,
is a step in the right direction toward creating true civil rights for children.
If you don't have children, find someone else's!
Take them to the library, the theater, a picnic in the park.
Use your own life to help point a young life in the right direction.
Oprah Winfrey
Be a messenger of hope to young people in your neighborhood. Give them an opportunity
for a better life. To purchase the Lives in Hazard study guide and video for your
school, church or community center, contact: olmosproductions@hotmail.com or
visit: www.olmosproductions.com
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