- Valley View News
WalkGoodLA Gives Back to the Community
LOS ANGELES, CA - Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic, Etienne Maurice created the organization WalkGoodLA to host events to lend his voice to his community.
“WalkGoodLA is a family of people that bring people of all walks of life together to fight and heal in solidarity through the arts health and wellness,” said Maurice.
Maurice was inspired to create WalkGoodLA after he heard about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. It started with a peaceful protest run at LA High Memorial Park where Maurice grew up. This protest run became a weekly event.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project reports nearly 95 percent of Black Lives Matter protests that took place from May 24 to August 22 of this year were peaceful. The protests took place in more than 2,400 locations across the United States.
Maurice and his cousin Marley Ralph decided to offer a free weekly yoga class for the community.
“Knowing that this is what people need right now and knowing that people are coming out here for a purpose, you know? They’re coming out here because things are crazy,” said Ralph.
The yoga class lasts for roughly an hour almost every Sunday. Multiple people who attend the event weekly say that the good energy and vibes always brings them back the following week.
WalkGoodLA collects donations during the event for the homeless community. They collaborate with the Echo Park Fund to give out food, masks and hygiene products to those in need.
The organization is planning more events including family weekends, socially distanced political education gatherings and silent movie nights. Maurice hopes that WalkGoodLA can set a positive example.
“We do this out of love, we do this out of compassion for one another and we are hopeful that that love and compassion we share with each other can be spread to other communities so that we can end the racial injustice that we are living in today," said Maurice.
More information on the events can be found on the WalkGoodLA Instagram page.
By Nikiko Burnett
With contributions from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project
Photo, WalkGoodLA Instagram
Video, Nikiko Burnett
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