Fighting Racism: Education is key, Olmos says

Olmos, an Emmy-Award winning actor who often is referred to as the unofficial mayor of Los Angeles, where he helped restore neighborhoods after the 1992 riots, came to UB as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series.

In a presentation punctuated with comments in Spanish, Olmos offered his views on life and encouraged listeners to ask questions.

"Do not wait for me to stop talking to ask a question," he said. Instead, as hands would go up, without missing a beat he would point, assign a number to that person, then continue with his comments before moving along to the next question. He assured students he would stay for as long as they wanted, answering questions for more than two hours.

"I am about to share my stories with you, and you are about to begin sharing your stories with me. I come from East LA, born and raised Chicano and I am proud of it. For those of you who are not Chicano, welcome to a night with Chicanos," he said

Olmos has appeared in numerous television shows and films, and is perhaps best known for his role as Lt. Castillo in the television series "Miami Vice." Not all of his work, however, is as popularly recognized. He received the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in HBO's "Burning Season," directed "America Me," a stark look at the life of an Hispanic-American family, and served as producer of "Lives in Hazard," a gripping expose of gang life in America.

"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," Olmos said. "Racism is tough. It's a learned behavior, just like violence is."

He voiced criticism over efforts to introduce English-only legislation, calling the move "dollar-wise and sense-foolish." While English is the global language of business, children in other parts of the world are learning to speak three or four different languages. "If they speak only English, your children will be behind the eight-ball," Olmos said.

Education is the key to beating a number of problems, including prejudice, he said. But that education must start long before college.

"When universities and colleges have problems with diversity, then we really have a problem. I can't blame it on the college level because by the time you get to college, beliefs have already been molded," Olmos said.

Education in America today is 97-98 percent Anglo-European dominated, he charged. "Who got more than 15 minutes of Meso-American studies (in school)?" Olmos asked. "Raise your hand if you can name one Chinese-American hero that you studied? One of five people on the planet is Chinese, and we have no Chinese-American heroes?

"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," Olmos said. "There shouldn't be any profession that's paid more than teachers."

Olmos also decried the culture of violence that has become so pervasive throughout the country.

"Our society has developed a behavior that has never been seen before in the human species. What is it? Children killing children for no reason," he said.

Violence is a health problem, not just a judicial problem, according to Olmos.

"Violence is like AIDS. How many of you have children? Are they vaccinated? Our children should be vaccinated (against violence) before birth....Violence is a virus, it's a cancer that can be cured," he said.

Violence in America has deep roots, but Olmos said he is optimistic that those roots can be overcome. "Yes, there was a conquest. Yes, it was done out of force, not out of love. America was forged out of a history of violence, but today what dominates us is love. More people live together in this country than in any country in the world."

Olmos' presentation was co-sponsored by the UB undergraduate Student Association and University Union Activities Board. The UB Distinguished Speakers Series is presented in conjunction with the Don Davis Auto World Lectureship Fund. The Amherst Chamber of Commerce is affiliate co-sponsor. Contributing sponsors are the Buffalo Marriott, UB Center for the Arts, Makin' Copies and the UB Alumni Association.

PHOTO BY NANCY PARISI