Historic Occasion In Nashville

Back in 2015, I contributed my opinion to an article written by Dave Infante entitled "There Are Almost No Black People Brewing Craft Beer. Here's Why." I recall when asked about my outlook and if whether the industry's racial makeup was changing I replied, "I do not see a foreseeable change in the next decade." It is worth a read, as not much has changed in the industry since that article. In fact I believe the disparities highlighted have exacerbated.

However, one exception has emerged.

Fast forward to May 8th, 2023, I am beyond ecstatic about the opportunities that exist for a organization that I am so honored to be a founding board member of. Enter the National Black Brewers Association. The occasion that all these Black pioneers and business owners in the beer industry had the opportunity to meet in person and converge at the National Craft Beer Conference in Nashville, Tennessee on the heels of American Craft Beer Week is truly unprecedented. The meeting location of the National African American Museum of Music and not to mention this all occurring on the birthday of Theodore Mack Sr., recognized as the first Black owner of a brewing company in the United States, is all too much for me to process and elaborate into context at this time. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care and to be surrounded by a collective which has as much shared experience and has demonstrated a proven record of advocacy for advancement in a such a competitive and exclusive manufacturing sector is its own reward. I was going to do a traditional post, however, I saw LinkedIn offered this article option. So, I figured why not this morning. This is a ground breaking initiative and I am still attempting to process the magnitude of it all to be honest. I will come back to give my roses to everyone involved in facilitating this historic occasion, but for now this will have to make do.

Cheers to American Craft Beer Week 2023 and thank you to my supporting community. There is still an immeasurable amount of work to do in the space to aid in more equitable outcomes. Lack of access to capital and redlining continues to be systemic and I perceive those systemic barriers to entry are not going away no time soon. What is uniquely different about this next decade; Black American inclusion in the industry from a customer acquisition is one of few viable demographics that has the space for growth (according to the most recent state of the industry address). I am glad that is now on wax and you better believe I am here for the ride.