Jody views his living room as an extension of the University. Inviting USC affiliates to experience a Mic Session forces his colleagues to travel through a part of Los Angeles that they typically avoid. That not-so-long drive from campus to View Park, also known as the Black Beverly Hills, can be a moment of reflection. Stu Summerville, a former law student of Jody’s who continues to be involved with Mic Sessions as a facilitator and artist, spoke about the importance of having Mic Sessions at Jody’s home instead of on USC's campus: 

"[It] breaks down the barriers created by the walls of USC. Escaping that physically opens you up mentally."

Mic Sessions also bends space to gather the group. The young artists travel from all parts of the county and beyond, often traversing by public transit and foot with their equipment, defying the segregated geography of Los Angeles. And they make this trek because Mic Sessions is like a family. I was able to see them poke fun at each others’ differences like any other family would. Besides bringing them together physically, the Mic Sessions ethos of unity brings young people together across differences through the pursuit of their voice and art. Some may be politically left-leaning or right-leaning, while others are first-generation Americans, native Angelenos, or at some point did not have a place to call home. What is awe-inspiring about Mic Sessions is that everyone with all these different backgrounds and opinions are respected and belong to the group. If you join them with an open mind and open heart, you feel welcomed. I felt this in the brief time I met with them. In such a currently divisive world, it made me feel hopeful that spaces for constructive conversations still exist. 

Leila bends space even farther and deeper as she regularly embarks on a much longer drive to San Quentin State Prison to conduct Mic Sessions behind bars. On Aim4TheHeart’s website, Leila’s nonprofit, participants describe that showing vulnerability is typically a sign of weakness in San Quentin. But in Mic Sessions, they can express their thoughts and emotions without repercussions. It creates a space for self-reflection that is not always accessible and pushes often avoided conversations to the forefront.

Leila says that the point for every Mic Session is a desire to heal. Stating this shared goal aloud allows for a unique space to be created wherever a Mic Session happens. We all have past experiences that we have to work through, and Mic Sessions are a way to bend space and time to allow for self-reflection and expression.

The best way to understand the power of Mic Sessions is to experience one. 

Leila and Jody were kind enough to meet with me and other students of RAP in April 2022. Six Mic Session artists joined us, and luckily Hope, who has participated in Mic Sessions for over 15 years, brought her guitar to our meeting. She began singing and encouraged us to join in:

“You know the rain don’t last forever.
You know the storm won’t always blow.
But if the sun don’t shine forever, you gotta let it go.”

Hope and Leila recounted their powerful experience performing this song with children recovering from trauma in Samoa.  Even though they could not speak each other's languages, the tears streaming from everyone's faces showed the power of music to communicate and heal.  While singing along with Hope, I thought of my own suns that have stopped shining. As the whole group joined in, I became conscious of everyone in the room having their own days where rain is falling, and it united us all together.

Mic Sessions provide the unmistakable joy of feeling heard. Emotional literacy makes this feeling possible, and it is at the core of every Mic Session. Aim4TheHeart defines emotional literacy as “the ability to understand emotions in self and others, the ability to empathize with the emotions, and the ability to express emotions productively.”  It's amazing to me because I often cannot find the right word or phrase to describe my feelings appropriately. When I do, it is freeing. 

And when there is a shared sense of understanding, action can then occur. In the case of Mic Sessions, one example is the creation and adoption of the Inclusion Rider at Warner Brother Records. Leila recalled when the Inclusion Rider was just an idea in Jody’s living room discussed with law students and musicians at Sessions. Together they wanted to determine what could occur to ensure representation within music management and the industry-at-large. Years of work to develop the Rider commenced, and their former student at Warner Brother Records helped lead them to be the first music company to adopt it. Leila describes the significance of this work as beyond reaching personal fame in the music industry. “The scope, the terms of agreement, have changed because of this work.”