#IAMCRAFTBEER
It’s been almost 2 months now since the infamous hate spewed email was sent and the #IAmCraftBeer movement by the lovely Dr. J.Jackson-Beckham was started in support of what I encountered. I finally wanted to take the time to sit down and tell my own story and what this movement really means to me. Do not get me wrong the stories that has been posted has done a great job of capturing the incident but I felt that I needed to share my own feelings and the emotions it stirred up.
On the morning of September 9th, 2019, I received a hateful email, that called me out of my name and told me I had no place in an industry that is highly represented by bearded white men. While people thank me for taking the higher road, I have to admit that my initial feeling was not that classy. I in fact started off my email with Fuck you and fuck your mother for birthing you, (yeah I was totally going there), I then opted to switch from my phone to my computer so that I could really rip into his ass. I sat there staring at the words on my computer not really shocked, because it happens more than you think to people of color. I was so pissed off that I wanted to find this person and turn his whole life upside down. How dare he call me a nigger and a bitch? How dare he say that I do not belong? How dare he make me waste my damn time and get upset over his ignorance? I stared at the computer for 10 minutes and finally a sense of peace came over me. This is probably the reaction he wanted so I opted for a more calmer response. I did not want him to have the satisfaction of winning.
So I came up with the genuine response, I wanted to know why this Brad (if that is his name) was so upset. Who pissed in his cheerios or gave him an old ass flat IPA, because it surely was not me. I really want to sit down with this guy and have a discussion over beer. I wanted to know why he felt so entitled and why did he not think that people of color should not have a place in this industry. I wanted to school him on who first brewed beer. However, Brad decided to hide who he was because he was nothing more than a spineless keyboard gangster and I decided to make the tweet public. I am tired of being devalued because of the color of my skin and my gender, I know that I am not the only one and I will not to be the last one.
The diversity conversation in beer started long before I created my platform, but I need to do my part to help it push through. It is a conversation that needs to be had. No one wants to talk about why we now have 50 black owned breweries but they are under represented in large fest. Which is the reason by Freshfest was created so that these breweries could be showcased. Founders Brewing tried to sweep the racism that Tracy Evans experienced under the rug and now only wants to have a brief discussion about it because it is hurting their bottom line.
You see it’s ignorance like that breeds segregation and racism. Racism is nothing new and I’m pretty sure it will never fully go away. However, it’s 2019 and no one should have to stand for it. I refuse to allow anyone tell me that I do not belong because I am black woman. Just because I do not fit in the spectrum of one’s self created reality. This is why I am forever thankful to Dr. J. Jackson-Beckham for not only her words of encouragement in a private conversation but what she did next. She created #IAmCraftBeer in support of that situation and anyone else what is faced with challenges of being told they do not belong. It is a movement that is continually growing not just here in the US, but internationally as well. It is a movement of love and respect of like minded people. Beer should not be defined by who drinks it, only but the quality of the beer itself.
In the past two months, so far 2 #IAmCraftBeer events were held in Chicago with the help of Liz Garibay of the Chicago Brewseum and Mickey Bryant of Black and Brew Chicago. The first event was held at Metropolitan Brewing and the second at Off Color Brewing - Mouse Trap. These two events brought groups of people from different walks of because of their love in beer. They were diverse in race, gender, religion, culture and you know what? Nobody gave a damn because the conversations held were about the beer as it should be.
I was often asked, what would I like to see happen next, well I want to see change. I want to hear conversation, I want to see progress in this movement. I want to see this industry grow even more with more people of color and women owning breweries. I want to see more love and support among everyone. I want to see more #IAmCraftBeer events occurring in different cities. I want new friendships being created over beer. I want REAL CHANGE TO HAPPEN OUTSIDE OF A TWITTER DISCUSSION.