Speaker, activist and comedian Ernie G put on a memorable show at Snow Fine Arts on Thursday the 25th. He spread a message of “speak positive, be positive, do positive.”
According to his website, Ernie G was born to a mexican, american, puerto rican, russian and french family as Enrnesto Tomas Gritzewsky. The name “Ernie G” was born in March of 1996 when Gritzewsky put on his first professional performance at the Eastside Comedy Jam in Alhambra, California.
Embracing Hispanic Heritage Month, Ernie G strives to shine light on his story of struggle and triumph in a fun and motivating way.
Members of the audience repeatedly referred to his speech as “amazing.”
Much of Gritzewsky’s motivation to succeed in school was based on his desire to make his mother proud, as she had come to the U.S. in order to provide her son with more opportunities.
“Your parents are the reason you get to be who you are today,” Gritzewsky explained.
Coming from Highland Park, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, Gritzewsky said that a life of “gang violence” would have been the easy road for him to take. However, with the inspiration given to him by his mother, Gritzewsky graduated from Loyola Marymount University with his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Chicano Studies.
Gritzewsky spoke of when a “hardened cholo” watched one of his shows and made a point to show him great respect afterward. The man found similarities in their upbringing based on the show, and respected Gritzewsky’s means of “embracing his heritage” rather than trying to conform to the majority of his peers.
One of Gritzewsky’s main points was that, “we can all stop the pattern of emulating our predecessors, and begin a new path of light through leading by example.”
Many of Gritzewsky’s jokes illustrated the significance he puts on “being able to laugh together.”
His next scheduled comedy CD, “Who’s Your Daddy?” will be released early next year.
