Working with children in Soweto in 1994, a few months after apartheid ended in South Africa, Xavier discovered the true power of art in helping effectuate social change. He returned to the United States transformed by the experience and launched a community-based practice that worked to amplify the voices of those who found themselves at society’s margins. Since then, he’s championed art as an agent of social change in order to tackle social ills, bring comfort to the sick, and strengthen community bonds.