Xeck it out

Xico González could be one of the busiest people in Sacramento. He’s an activist, teacher, scholar, artist and founded the Brown Syndicate, a Raza arts organization that promotes fine art, literature, theater, photography, music and dance. While González is known for his thought-provoking, edgy and in-your-face political posters, his latest show will also feature a variety of artistic medium, even some of his poetry played through an MP3 player. The show’s title, Xicanismo, he explains, is not about ethnocentrism, it’s about, well, he describes nicely in this poem with the same name: “Xicanismo is a political / state of mind / not a nationality / Xicanismo es fuerza / Strength to fight oppression, / racismo and discrimination / Xicanismo es respeto / Respect for your elders / and your ancient tradiciones / Xicanismo es sabiduría / Knowledge about self and culture / … Xicanismo es amor.” You’ll see.