The Washington Informer
A Night to Remember with Louis Gossett, Jr.
By Denise Rolark Barnes
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Actor and author Louis Gossett, Jr. applauds the achievements of Nina Thompson and other D.C. charter school graduates during an event sponsored by the D.C. Association of Chartered Public Schools at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in Northwest, Fri., May 21.
The audience, comprised of District charter school graduates, not much older than 16 themselves, had their own stories of challenges and achievements that made the evening with Gossett, a night to remember.
"Have a good time; enjoy yourself, but put a plan together for your life," the 78 year old actor said. "You know to realize why you were put on this planet and what you're expected to do with it. It may not work out perfectly, but God will help you to do it. Stick with your plan," he said.
The D.C. Association of Chartered Public Schools hosted the event that also served as a fundraiser and celebration of the achievements of six outstanding charter school college graduates and two Class of 2010 charter school high school graduates. Gossett talked talked about his life and provided words of encouragement to the group, especially those who are pursuing careers.
Gossett is most recognized for his Oscar winning role as the tough drill sergeant in "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982). His stellar career also includes memorable roles in "A Raisin in the Sun", the television mini-series "Roots" and the new lead on the science fiction series "Stargate SG-1."
Gossett has battled alcohol, drugs, a toxic mold infection and prostate cancer, which he chronicles in his recent autobiography, "An Actor and a Gentleman." He reflected on his career in the early 1970s when he had to live as an agreeable black man who didn't speak up, he said.
"It wasn't me, but I had to do it to survive. I was in between a rock and a hard space," Gossett said.
Gossett also established the Eracism Foundation, a nonprofit organization aimed at creating entertainment that helps bring awareness and education to issues such as racism, ignorance, and societal apathy in 2006.
The winners of the DCACPS 2010 college graduate award was Antwain Coward, a SEED Public Charter School graduate who received a B.S. in Management from Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio. Nina Thompson, a 2010 graduate of Cesar Chavez Public Charter School received the outstanding high school graduate award. The other finalists included Alvin Brown, of Hospitality High School and a graduate of Michigan State University; Nicosia Young of Cesar Chavez Public and a graduate of the University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.; Claudia Alvarez, a graduate of Kamit Institute for Magnificent Achievers; I-sha Davis of Friendship Collegiate Academy; and Chantel Washington, Integrated Design and Electronics Academy (IDEA).