Morton College Hosts Latino Thought Makers Interview Series This Fall!

Award-winning Hollywood writer, actor, and producer Rick Najera has brought his nationally acclaimed series Latino Thought Makers to Morton College’s Jedlicka Performing Arts Center. This unscripted interview series that highlights prominent Latinx personalities through organic conversations has previously featured Edward James Olmos, Dolores Huerta, and Danny Trejo, to name a few.

“This terrific four-part series kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month at Morton College with Luis Guzman in September,” said Blanca Jara, Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Morton College. “In October, we featured Dr. Cornel West, and on November 12th, we will have actress and comedienne Natasha Perez.”

The Latino Thought Makers series builds bridges of understanding in cultural diversity through personal and comedic dialogue, and showcases critical thinking as it relates to entertainment and education. According to Najera, Latino Thought Makers was started as an effort to create a Town Hall for Latinos and to change the narrative to showcase and celebrate positive contributions to the American experience.

Najera, the author of five critically acclaimed books, has written for film and television for over 20 years in Hollywood. He performed on Broadway in his self-written stage play, Latinologues, directed by comedy legend Cheech Marin. Najera is one of only three Latinos to write and star in their own play on Broadway. He also wrote more than 30 episodes for the groundbreaking comedy series In Living Color, and penned the feature film Nothing Like the Holidays (starring Debra Messing, Alfred Molina, John Leguizamo, and Luis Guzman), for which he won an ALMA Award.

Najera earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from California Lutheran University, and is currently working toward a Master of Fine Arts at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.

These events are free and open to the public. The shows will also be broadcast live via Morton College’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

For more information, please visit www.morton.edu/latino-thought-makers/, or contact:

Morton College

3801 S. Central Avenue

Cicero, IL 60804

708-656-8000

www.morton.edu