One of the most respected actors in HollyWood, Edward James Olmos is also a distinguished humanitarian who spends a great amount of his time helping and supporting various charitable organizations. He has become an actor with a profound social conscience. A man who works tirelessly with disadvantaged youth. He is an icon to many, and a voice for the Latino community of America.

Behind the Moustache
 
Although Olmos is known for his dramatic portrayals on screen, it's really off screen where EJO has made the biggest impact. Unashamedly vocal about social issues, Olmos spends a great deal of time supporting community services, working with disadvantaged youth, making countless lecture's, he continue's to make a positive change in people's lives. Olmos has also become a strong voice for the Hispanic community of America, reminding them to be proud of their heritage and language, but that culture shouldn't divide, but bring them together. Speaking about his own Mexican heritage Olmos says ''I’m even more understanding of my indigenous-ness, my Yaqui/Mayan roots filtering into the Aztec culture that is just so beautiful. And we’ve been here for 40,000 years. That’s right. My relatives go back 40,000 years in this hemisphere. For 40,000 years my family has lived here. My mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mothers lived here. So did my dad.''

Olmos continues to have a passion for education and likes to spread the message that it is possible to improve your life regardless of the odds, using himself as an example EJO say's "I come from a dysfunctional family, I'm a minority, I have no natural talent, but I did it. If I can do it, anybody can do it. I take away all the excuses." Among the oragnisations Olmos works for are F.A.S.E (Foundation for Advancement in Science and Education), The Para Los Ninos organizsation, Paza la da Raza and Hole in the wall Gang, he is also a Goodwill Ambassador for Unicef. In 1992 the world bore witness to the L.A riot's, an event which was sparked when four white police officer's were acquitted of savagely beating Rodney King, Olmos would be one of the first people on the street's trying to clean-up and restore a sense of normality to Los Angeles. He would go on to become a member of the Rebuild L.A. Committee.

Throughout any given year Eward James Olmos will make in excess of 150 lectures, topics will range from humanitarian issue's to talks on tolerance among people. He trys to emphasise unity among people, regardless of their background and upbringing. The following are some quotes from Olmos' lectures. (All quotes are from his official website)
"Education is the key (to overcoming prejudice), and we are lacking in educational systems all across the country because society would rather pay me more than teachers. There shouldn't be any profession that's paid more than teachers."
"I am not naturally gifted, not naturally talented. I did not come out of my mother's womb saying 'to be or not to be' with a Spanish accent. I say this to you because I see that...we still have a problem understanding that the only thing that makes us the same is that we are all different. Racism is tough. It's a learned behavior, just like violence is."
"How can children of colour gain a feeling of sense, of self-worth, self-esteem, and self-respect by citing a European-based history? Yet nothing is being done about changing it."
"For those of you who are Spanish-impaired, when someone else laughs, you laugh too."

 

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