On Sunday, Headspace, a San José barbershop, hosted an electric and educational open mic event from 6-9 p.m. in collaboration with the San José State Black Student Union.
“First Sunday” is co-hosted by Lou Dimes, the president of B.L.A.C.K. Outreach San José and founder of Feed the Block.
Alongside Dimes, the other supporting hosts are artist and barber “Sed” Sedric Salinas and DJ, barber, photographer and owner of Headspace “Zo” Alonzo Grainger.
This open mic showcased a multitude of artists, poets, performers and activists and also featured the local band Sip Club.
Loghann Bellamy, whose poet name is Cosmic, an SJSU fourth-year sociology student and BSU board member, opened the event with her poetry.
“This space pays homage to the culture of the barbershop in the Black community … you come in, politic with uncles and aunties,” Cosmic said. “ … this is a space for that but then it’s amplified by the music and the food and then also the political education that’s happening here.”
Black barbershops are worlds with their own culture, laws and customs, with prominent figures like John Merrick, Henry M. Morgan, Stokely Carmichael and Ernie Chambers paving the way for the Black community as a whole, according to a webpage by The Rich Barber.
Butch Ware, Green Party candidate for Governor of California in 2026 and history professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, shared his mission and ideologies at the event.
“Revolution is about change … breaking free from the chains that the colonizer has on your consciousness and your heart,” Ware said. “ … love for your fellow human being … stand up in solidarity with your siblings and humanity and fight for collective liberation.”
Ware has an extensive education in African History, African-American History, and Islamic Intellectual History, earning his Ph.D. in 2004 at the University of Pennsylvania, according to UCSB’s webpage.
Ware has published two books: “The Walking Qur’an: Islamic Education, Embodied Knowledge and, History in West Africa” and “Jihad of the Pen: The Sufi Literature of West Africa.”
He is currently campaigning for Governor of California in 2026 as a Green Party candidate and working on two books: “Visionaries: Second Sight & Social Change in Islamic West Africa” and “The First Atlantic Revolution: Islam, Abolition & Republic in West Africa c. 1776.
Normally, the event is held on the last Sunday of the month, but this particular open mic was conducted on the first Sunday of this month in consideration of Ware’s attendance.
Along with the performances, Amiyah Shields, founder of Oakland-based catering service, She Cooks a Freaking Lot, provided Halal Caribbean fusion cuisine.
She served trays of chicken, salad and vegan fried rice, with plates starting at $10.
“I’ve been cooking Caribbean food for about six years now … I was just very grateful to see what this was all about,” Shields said.
Headspace has been hosting these open mic events for over a year now but it also offers several events besides “Last Sunday” such as “Talk-to-me-Tuesdays” and “What’s-the-Word-Wednesday.”
“Talk-to-me-Tuedays” is a therapeutic space for men to congregate together from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays to foster open and personal discussions.
Bryanna (Bry) Buchana, braider, owner and founder of BryBrySlays Beauty hosts “What’s-the-Word-Wednesday,” where women commune together in Headspace from 6:30-8:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
Additionally, Headspace offers what they coin,“Proud 2 Pay,” on Tuesday where any customer is allowed a discounted haircut if they can’t afford to pay the full price.
Activist Ossama Kamel, also known by his artist name, Kamelo.o, performed a musical piece influenced by the traditions of upper Egyptian music and southern blues.
He emphasized the importance of storytelling and political satire as a tool for revolution and spoke of the significance and spirit of Headspace.
“It is absolutely more than a barber shop … it is a bunch of people who give a shit about their people, who give a shit about their community and who want to bring community together,” Kamel said. “Black folks together in fellowship, in a commitment to one another, in a materializing of a politic of love, a revolutionary politic of service.”
Sip Club supported the performances with lots of musical improvisation alongside experienced trumpet player and musician, Duhran Wilson, who played for part of the night.
Preston Pascal, SJSU third-year communicative disorders and science student, stars on bass, while both Noah Chhan, SJSU third-year computer science student and Jake Preston, SJSU chemical engineering graduate shred the electric guitar.
Rithik Sastry, SJSU fourth-year management information systems student, plays the keyboard and spoke on his experience at the event.
“It was fun, I really, really liked it. We prepared like four songs for this, we ended up playing only like three of them, the rest of it was just pure improv,” Sastry said.
Keshav Sreedharan, SJSU fourth-year mechanical engineering student rocked drums while Tommy Wessman-Edwards, SJSU fourth-year psychology student, is their singer.
Director, writer, editor, producer and educator for Youth Speaks at Galileo High School Brandon Gagnate, also known by his artist name, Kuya B., performed his poetry.
He spoke about identity, gentrification, and cultural pride and also spoke on his first-time experience at Headspace.
“It was beautiful out here … our MC tonight was amazing, our DJs, every single performer that graced the stage tonight was amazing … it’s a really authentic space … it’s a rare one too,” Gagnate said.
The next SJSU BSU open mic event is scheduled to be on Sept. 28 from 6 – 9 p.m. at Headspace.
