Desreta Jackson Announced as Celebrity Ambassador for Wattstar Theatre and Education C
Watts, CA, September 11, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Watts Cinema & Education Center, Inc. (WCEC), a community based 501c(3) economic development an training organization, announced recently that actress, producer, director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, Desreta Jackson is the official celebrity ambassador for the Wattstar Theater and Education Center.
As ambassador, Jackson will support the project by encouraging other celebrities to join forces and become an avid supporter, create awareness of this project that is “leveraging the silver screen for neighborhood economic development in the heart of Watts”, as well as spearhead fund-raising events that will attract supporters to donate time and funding needed for this project to succeed.
"I have always been a firm believer that if you, give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Desreta Jackson , Actress
Being a product of Watts, Ca, this project hits home for Jackson. Having seen the need for employment, entertainment, positivity in the community, it only makes sense for someone with her passion join forces to see the project come to fruition.
This will not be the first time Desreta has given her energy to her childhood community with the intentions to uplift the residents. In 2004 - 2010 Mrs. Jackson gave back to her community by developing a program to help rebuild her community and its neighborhoods. She acquired, trained and hired within the community to build a total of 3 houses, 6 duplexes and 1 triplex. Mrs. Jackson also created a program in which she collaborated with homeless shelters such as, Beyond the Shelter and many others to re-educate and place them in the homes in which she built.
Desreta's natural business savvy and negotiations, inspired her journey into Social Activism. She invested over 1.1 million dollars of personal finances into rebuilding her community of Watts, Los Angeles. She dedicated time to investing in home restoration projects that provided victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, homelessness and their families with a home they could call their own. She pioneered a program that focused on educating and hiring members of communities in need- causing her company Mahogany Mane and its' innovative concepts to go viral.
The partnership between Wattstar Theater and Education Center along with the tenacity and compassion of Desreta Jackson will surely result in monumental makings for the city of Watts, California.
About Desreta
Desreta Jackson is best known for her starring role as the "young Celie" in the Oscar-nominated film, “The Color Purple”, directed by Steven Spielberg starring Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, and Laurence Fishburne, 1985. Her stellar performance in “The Color Purple”, launched her career, landing her such roles as those in “Sister Act”, “Mancuso FBI”, and other made-for-TV movies, along with producing one of the first reality shows made for television, setting a trend before reality shows became the accepted norm.
Today, Desreta is the CEO/Founder of BlackSilk, “The First African American Luxury Hair Care Line”, she is the Producer of "The Healthy Hair Expos", as well as own her own production company Desicon Pictures.
About Wattstar
WCEC is a mission driven, minority-controlled 501c(3) with strong ties to the Watts community. The organization’s President and CEO, Barbara Stanton, is a Watts native. Wattstar will begin phase one of two by bringing entertainment and employment to its community. In phase one a complex of four movie screens playing first run films will be developed. Phase one will also introduce career paths for community residents through global communications and distance learning and will have a stage for live performances and showcases for local youth and talent.
For more information about Desreta Jackson visit: www.desretajackson.com
For interviews or appearances please contact Desreta’s publicist, Tonya Carmouche – 562-551-8277 or tcpr4u@yahoo.com