We Don't Even Walk Out Here

We don't even walk out here alone at night, Xochitl warned me as soon as I sat down in his car. And we're not as vulnerable as you, although we get black on brown violence. I had forgotten that despite living 50 years from the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, racism is still a reality.

In this episode, I'm not going to try to make anyone feel bad. I'm just going to talk about my conversation with Xochitl on Memorial Day.

But first, I need to introduce you to Xochitl (pronounced something like WHO - key - till), an elder and an Aztec dancer living in South LA. He speaks at gatherings of the South Central Farmers Coop and teaches the Coop's under-25 crowd traditional Aztec drumming and dances. His feathers are beautiful. When Xochitl speaks, he commands respect as a kind person who labors over the meaning of each word.

So, I was shocked when after offering me a ride home from the Coop's planning meeting, Xochitl began to rebuke me for walking to the train. He said, Many people are filled with anger because they think others have more, and they want to lash out. They say 'Let's mess with this guy.' You might end up in a wheel chair. I've faced guns, knifes, and bats out here. You don't want to be at a given place at the wrong time—and the wrong time is night. These streets are very different in the day.

Xochitl explained that I must not understand my purpose here on earth, or else I would take care of myself to fulfill that purpose. At that moment, I had to agree. Now, I can't help but reflect that if my purpose is to emulate Jesus Christ, then abandon and suffering should have something to do with my purpose; but I see his point. I felt incredibly stupid for trying to walk through these neighborhoods alone at night, although in my eight months here I've never had a problem at night.

Xochitl explained to me that some people in these neighborhoods are incensed because they believe that White people are holding them down. Xochitl told me the original Europeans here were holding people back, but that white people alive today are not at fault. (I wanted to disagree about the latter but held my tongue.) Xochitl said the earth is what really sustains everyone, which makes the earth our mother. He extended his hand to me, saying, If we have the same mother, that makes us brothers. I shook his hand and wished him peace.