Louis Gossett Jr.
Planting Positive Seeds of Change

Monday, March 16 • 3:30-5:30 pm

During our first plenary session on Monday afternoon, Academy award-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. will enlighten and inspire us. He will share with us his passion for the last quadrant of his life, which he has dedicated to “an all-out conscientious offensive against racism, violence, and ignorance relative to the role and significance of history in positioning individuals and collective communities for the future.”

In 2006 he founded the Eracism Foundation, focused on eradicating racism and social ignorance while planting the positive seeds of tolerance and cultural awareness with children. He believes that if we treat our children as our primary commodity in sustaining the future, we will move towards a more unified world. He shows us that through civic engagement all generations can work together to improve our society and individual lives.

“One mentality cannot run the world anymore, we need to communicate with each other without resorting to violence to create peace, care for our planet, and encourage the cooperation between races, religions, and communities.” Louis Gossett Jr.

His childhood was preeminently dominated by teachers and children of the Jewish faith. “I am a product of the successful union of what I call the Afro-Judaic culture. If it were not for that I would never have entertained the thought to excel the way that I have.” He is proof positive of the theory that if you get nurturing and mentorship during childhood, you grow up to believe anything is possible. As one of the most respected African American actors, he has established a highly honored career in film, on television and the stage. He’s won several awards, including an Emmy for Roots, an Oscar for Officer and a Gentleman, and a Golden Globe for The Josephine Baker Story.

We look forward to welcoming Louis Gossett Jr. to Aging in America and to looking through his lens at what he envisions to be a better country for young and old.