Living Rooms with Friends Series: Mike de la Rocha
posted by Audrey Buchanan
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Say what's up to our first listening party host, Mike de la Rocha (@mrmikedelarocha).
Last week he brought a small crew of friends and strangers into his living room to listen to @nprinvisibilia and talk about the categories that we get put in, and sometimes put others into.
Check out the full video recap here.
From Mike:
I genuinely love @npr because they consistently cover stories that I can't find on mainstream news outlets. I love the fact that they are willing to take risks and address issues of race, class, identity and transformation. To me, genuine and intimate conversations are at the heart of how we can radically change ourselves, and in the process, the world. I've always utilized living room spaces in my organizing efforts because these spaces allow for people to engage in ways that they are not typically used to. Living rooms allow people to be more open and willing to engage in difficult, but needed, conversations that will hopefully lead to some concrete relationships being built, lessons being learned and action being taken.
Three of my favorite things about my listening party:
// The people! I was so encouraged by the breadth of experiences, identities and willingness of all those gathered last night to share their most intimate hopes, dreams, fears and stories of resiliency with complete strangers.
// I loved the intentional incorporation of spirit, culture and heritage into last night's format. From the music to the libation to the podcast, the incorporation of spirit allowed for the creation of a safe space where we could share sacred and personal stories of love and loss. To me, culture is a gateway into spiritual and personal breakthroughs and last night affirmed that for me.
// I absolutely loved the fact that 40 people sat quietly in a living room and listened to a 23-minute podcast without any interactions, without any cell phones, and with just their open hearts and ears. The very act of listening is a skill that we need to practice more and last night's event reminded me once again of the power and importance of simply listening. There can be no growth without understanding and understanding can only happen when we're committed to deep and genuine listening to others.
More about Mike:
Mike de la Rocha is a social entrepreneur and artist who specializes in criminal justice, social innovation and health and wellness. He is the Founder and CEO of Revolve Impact, a social impact firm that combines organizing and the arts to drive communities to action. Highlights include founding Artists for 47, a coalition assembled to pass California’s historic Proposition 47 that has impacted more than 1 million Californians and led to the largest record change effort in U.S. history, launching the Justice Policy Network, the country’s first fellowship focused on increasing the number of leaders in the government sector advancing a new justice agenda, and co-managing John Legend’s #FREEAMERICA campaign.
Photo credit: Hadas; Video credit: Chrissy Larsen, Hadas and Audrey Buchanan