On Feb. 21, the Black Student Success Center hosted an open mic night for students to share poetry and music from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Students and faculty came together to listen to each other speak, giving students the chance to hang out with their friends and share their art.
Long Beach City College student, Lone Carlson, a writer and musician, took this as an opportunity to share his poetry.
Accompanied by his guitar, Carlson shared a spoken word poem that captivated the whole room.
Carlson takes a lot of his musical inspiration from artists such as “Nirvana, Moses Sumney, James Blake… Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, all the greats.”
Carlson had performed at an open-mic night before at The Library Cafe in Long Beach which helped him feel prepared for this experience.
But for other performers, like Priince Bass, this was his way of revealing to his peers that he sings.
“Nobody really knew I was going to perform because I do a lot of legislative work, so I usually keep that hat hidden, but I decided to do something different tonight,” said Bass.
While juggling life as a student, ASB Vice President, and Sage Scholars Vice President, Bass has also found time to pursue a career in music.
He has been making music since he was 12 years old and moved to Los Angeles from Georgia to follow his dream of making music.
Bass likes to be an advocate through his music and be a “voice for the voiceless,” with a goal to not only entertain but also make a difference in the world, through his words.
Bass found out about this event through Sage Scholars, Umoja, and the Black Student Success Center which he works out of.
“I volunteer here all the time because it’s such a great place and safe space for students to come, especially those of color, and really all students. But here it just gives us a separate space where we can feel seen,” said Bass.
Student Ruby Davis, came to watch her peers perform because she loves that, “LBCC offers students the chance to create.”
The Black Student Success Center will continue to host various events promoting Black voices throughout the rest of the year, that all students are welcome to attend.