Missy Lane’s Assembly Room Gives Voice to Music And The Community

Missy Lane’s Assembly Room is a bastion of jazz and social justice in Durham, North Carolina. A concert stage and community hub where both music and marginalized voices can be heard.

On a recent Sunday, a dozen people gathered for the inaugural “Hold Space,” a series of thought-provoking conversations hosted by the venue. The topic was “Erasing Inclusion: The Psychological Cost of DEI’s Dismantling” and the subsequent mental health impact on Black Americans.

“It’s a tough conversation, but it’s a conversation we have to have in order to build up the community,” said Dion Chavis, Hold Space organizer and moderator. “The art of conversation and building community is sometimes something we lose. It starts with how we communicate with each other.”

The predominantly Black female audience sought answers from the speakers, a DEI expert and mental health professional, on a variety of topics from diversity hiring to navigating negativity in the workplace and efforts by the current administration to dismantle DEI programs.

During the audience Q&A, Keysha McDougal of Raleigh said, “It’s hard being Black in America. It’s extra hard to be a Black American since January 20th.”

The participants and audience expressed appreciation for having a safe environment at Missy Lane’s to share and discuss difficult topics.

“Conversations like this give me the reassurance to know that there are other people who understand the challenges I’m facing,” said Alix Engler, 27. “When it comes to hiring from a diversity perspective because I am a minority. And I do tick a lot of those boxes. These conversations give me not only a sense of community but encouragement.”

“Black people love community,” said McDougal after the discussion. “The management and ownership of Missy Lane’s has opened this space for community – not just a nightly event or concert…It’s cathartic. I’ve literally limited myself from how much news I consume because it’s so heavy right now. So, we come to places like this, we get into community and discuss common issues and formulate solutions to move us forward.”

The Black female leading the charge is biostatistician Dr. Cicely Mitchell, co-owner of Missy Lane’s and co-founder in 2010 of Original Art of Cool, a non-profit organization dedicated to growing the audience for jazz-inspired music. Mitchell discovered jazz while doing her doctoral work.

“I met a trumpeter by the name of Al Strong and really learned how rich this area was in music tradition,” explained Mitchell. “I fell down that rabbit hole. It became a hobby, a love, while I was working on my career in statistics.”

Mitchell and her team organized the first Art of Cool Festival in Durham in April 2014. In early 2024, Mitchell and co-owners Marcel Mercer and Russel Dudley opened Missy Lane’s on the ground floor of a historic downtown building.

“It’s an extension of the Art of Cool,” explained Mitchell. “We love finding new talent, being that place where people can discover new sounds and new music and new artists that are now their favorite artists. That’s been the calling card from day one.”

The Missy Lane’s talent schedule is an eclectic mix of theme nights, local performers and national touring acts including upcoming appearances by saxophonist Aaron McCoy, sound bath innovator Shabaka, Grammy-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton and the Fat Tuesday Bitter Sweet Brass Band.

A diverse southern speakeasy, the front room overlooks Main Street with floor to ceiling windows, a full bar and grand piano in the corner. The adjacent performance space can accommodate up to 240 people and features a large mural by local artist Darius Quarles of jazz legends like John Coltrane and Miles Davis and contemporary players including Gregory Porter and Brandee Younger. The full renovation team included designer Niki McNeill Brown and Weinstein & Friedlein Architects. Mitchell didn’t disclose the cost.

“It’s supposed to feel like your auntie’s house, very nostalgic, but familiar and comfortable where people would feel welcome,” she said.

A welcome addition to the coffee bar, Missy Lane’s added food this year including some of Mitchell’s family recipes. She said building a comfortable homebase for the community has always been a priority.

“Absolutely paramount because that’s just how Durham is set up,” she explained. “In order to do anything as challenging as connecting a music that isn’t the popular music of the day, it has to be rooted in community and accessible to everyone. You know, the bar, the coffee, the food, the conversation, it all builds the community around Missy Lane.”

The Hold Space series was a natural fit and may eventually turn into a podcast.

“It feels good when there are people who have ideas that align with the brand so that people have a space to get their ideas and concept out there to the community,” said Mitchell.

At the end of the inaugural Hold Space program, Engler was sitting in a conversation area on a couch with friends. They had just finished a bottle of champagne from the bar.

“It’s comfortable and it creates a safe space,” Engler said. “it’s a vibe where you don’t feel like you have to be very formal. You can be casual and it’s a great environment for these types of conversations because you feel comfortable.”

“I’m glad they got to experience the beauty of the community of Missy Lane, the community of Durham, with something different from getting information on social media,” said Chavis of the positive reaction in the room. “This is how we can ensure folks are getting information correctly, being heard and being seen.”