Lessons Learned As I Closed Our Doors
<p>It’s not easy to put into words the journey of five years; the laughter, the late nights, and the vibrant community that surrounded House of Xelas. After an unexpected turn of events, we had to close the doors to our beloved bar this past August.</p>
<p>Boyle Heights was my family’s first home in the US, and it held the roots of my identity as a first-gen Chicana. I had always dreamt of owning a space in this community, as a tribute and a thank you to the place that shaped me. This community was the birthplace of the <a href="https://reimaginingmigration.org/the-chicano-movement-and-boyle-heights-teaching-student-activism/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Chicano/Chicana education movement </a>in the ’60s — as a former school teacher turned entrepreneur, and as a first-gen woman of color, the thought of owning a business here all these years later felt like a beautiful tribute to the activists who came before me.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/@corissahernandez/lessons-learned-as-i-closed-our-doors-7745b9891895"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>