Inside's Open Mic Night Returns: How Sierra Jones Is Rebuilding a Home for Underrepresented Creativity at Colman Commons
After a year-long hiatus, Inside, the beloved BIPOC-centered open mic series, is returning to Seattle, this time in partnership with Colman Commons in the historic Colman Building. For founder Sierra-Leone Jones, the comeback represents the restoration of a sanctuary for Black and brown creative expression.
“We are bringing open mics back after being gone for over a year, and we're super excited. Our community's excited. They've been asking for it,” Jones said. “Inside gave them that hope, that space, that reconnection with life.”
Losing Space, Holding the Vision
Inside’s hiatus wasn’t born of a lack of demand. In fact, the series had just been recognized as Heart of the Community 2024 by Intentionalist when everything changed. Jones explained their initial space was sold and the building was knocked down shortly after their win.
For an event defined by its commitment to uplifting marginalized voices, the loss of space cut deep. Inside was a home for many underrepresented creators in the city.
“To truly have this partnership with Colman Commons means a lot to me,” Jones said. “To be able to hold this space for our people is more important than ever.”
A Partnership Rooted in Alignment
The new chapter at Colman Commons is fundamentally a values-based alignment.
“Being able to have a partnership with a space that's so aligned with what Inside is about and what we're trying to bring to community is just like a gift from God,” Jones said.
For Jones, that alignment is crucial. Inside has always been intentional about who it centers and how it operates, especially in the current political climate.
Prioritizing Black and Brown Voices
Inside’s Open Mic Night is meticulously engineered in practice to prioritize Black and brown voices and protect their expression.
“In today's political climate, it's important to have a safe space where everybody can be themselves,” Jones said. “We 100% prioritize Black and brown voices.”
That commitment is more than a slogan. It’s built into the structure of the event.
“What that looks like in practice is, at a certain period of the night, we ask if you're not a person of color to politely excuse yourself to allow the voices of color to finish first,” she said. “That's unheard of. Many people say because we do that, they feel safe.”
In a city and country where these same communities are often pushed to the margins of public conversation, Inside flips the script, placing their stories, their rage, their joy, and their vulnerability at the center.
A Space for the Raw and the Real
Inside has long been known as a place where nothing has to be smoothed over for comfort. The mic is a release valve for people carrying heavy stories, daily harms, and generational weight.
For Jones, what matters is that people don’t have to hold it all inside.
“To be able to provide a space where you're no longer internally processing, but you can express that creativity outward to an audience that's going to support you and cheer you on, that's unheard of,” she said.
Inside is a room where hurt can be alchemized into art, where grief, rage, and love can be spoken aloud without apology and met not with judgment, but with applause and affirmation.
The Return: Final Fridays at Colman Commons
After all the loss, the transitions, and the long year without a home base, Inside is officially back. The Open Mic will now be held every final Friday of the month at Colman Commons, giving Seattle’s BIPOC creatives a consistent place to gather, share, and build.
As Inside reopens its doors in partnership with Colman Commons, it carries with it years of stories, relationships, and transformations, and an open invitation to those who have been waiting for a place where their voices are not just welcomed, but prioritized, protected, and celebrated.
Join Sierra, hosts Deaunte Damper and Darryl Foto, and the community at the official return of Inside’s Open Mic Night this Friday, July 31 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at Colman Commons, 811 1st Ave, Suite 91M, Seattle.
Get your tickets to Inside’s Open Mic Night here.
Looking to book a space for your upcoming event? Check out Colman Commons for all your event space needs at colmancommons.com
