A strong house is said to have “good bones.” By that logic, one might infer a community is only as strong as its leaders, those who set themselves apart by making deliberate choices to organize, to gather, to entertain.
I had the privilege of meeting with one of the Rio Grande Valley’s (RGV) community event organizers, Geo (any pronouns), who shared insight into why they do what they do and how rewarding it can be.
The Spark to Fire Pipeline
Geo began attending creative community events at 16, mostly music shows in the DIY scene at local venues.
“I fell in love with the sense of community there … you could watch music, hang out with your friends, talk to new people, dance,” Geo elaborates, “there was this sort of, like, careless aspect.”
Geo moved back to the Valley from Houston two years ago. While attending a local open mic, they were introduced to the safe, open nature of these non-discriminatory events. Immediately after that event, Geo called attention to the community members in the space and promoted a music show they were organizing in Alton (though the events Geo organizes are not specific to one city).
Geo has something particularly touching to say about this kind of leadership and love, opening up about how there is a much deeper and profound type of love birthed within the community that, in their opinion, cannot be found in romantic relationships.
“I knew that there was, like, another kind of love … this thing that gives us meaning … that was missing in my life,” they went on. “It gives us power.”
Geo says it was at the first show they organized, a mixed-genre local backyard show, when it clicked–good people exist, and the world isn’t all chaos and turmoil. Something can be done about it, and it can turn into something beautiful.
Organizing For Causes Everywhere
Geo is very willing to make changes outside their local community and the U.S. The first couple of shows they organized were specifically to raise money for some families in Palestine.
At another benefit show held earlier this year, Geo raised $900, which was fully donated to Las Americas Immigration Advocacy Center, which, according to their website, is a nonprofit organization based in El Paso, Texas, providing free and low-cost legal services to immigrants and refugees in West Texas, New Mexico and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Geo’s main concern is making their community feel welcome, known, and held, putting effort into remembering faces and having genuine conversations in spite of their introverted nature. Part of how they go about taking care of their community is providing an option to “pay what you can” if an attendee cannot afford to pay a full cover fee for an event.
It Runs in the Family!
Surprisingly, Geo is not the only one in their family to advocate via art and community engagement–their sister and brother, Zadria (she/they) and Javz (any pronouns), do the same. Zadria is a performer with Hell ‘N Heels, a womxn’s empowerment dance company, and Javz is a radical artist and musician who has painted beautiful pieces embracing their Mexican heritage.
“I feel like I got lucky … we were always creating as children … we had a video cam recorder … we would, like, make little skits and films … dress up … it’s beautiful to me because at the beginning it was a form of play and then it became a form of healing and now it can be used to reach other people … I grew up with my best friends,” Geo shared.
Geo is grateful for how willing their siblings have been to assist with their community events when they started out, Zadria helping as a door greeter and Javz with creating flyers. Geo sees this as a gift.
Future Plans & A Call to Action
When it comes to art, Geo “loves everything,” from photography to poetry to punk shows and more. They plan to organize future events with art exhibitions and eventually touch “every art medium.”
Geo’s message to people who want to do the same is:
“I get it. Fear paralyzes you, but we–there’s enough of everything to go around for all of us,” they assured, emphasizing that even if a small crowd goes to someone’s benefit show, it’s never not enough, and nothing is off limits when it comes to mediums.
During such a dystopian time, as Geo puts it, it’s important to have something to hold on to: a place of refuge, away from all the noise, a saving grace where one is ensured they will not only have a great time, but be amongst friends, almost family, benefiting a cause. Healing and helping can look like many things. Geo’s story, their call to action, shows us one special and substantial way it can be done.
