The North American Guild of Beer Writers (NAGBW) Members, have announced the recipients of this year’s Diversity in Beer Writing Grant. Per the Guild, “Now in its sixth year, the grant supports stories that showcase diversity and inclusion—in all its forms and challenges—within beer.”
Here is the rest of the press release with my added notes of the articles that I am looking forward to:
“The Grant receives support from Crafted For All, a professional development platform that fosters inclusive, equitable, and just spaces and experiences in the craft beverage sector; Craft x EDU, which champions inclusion, equity, and justice in the craft brewing community through education and professional development; CraftBeer.com, a website published by the Brewers Association; and Allagash Brewing Company. These partnerships have allowed the NAGBW to commission its greatest-ever number of stories through the Diversity in Beer Writing Grant.
After receiving a strong collection of applications, the grant will fund the work of the following journalists. These pieces will be published at craftbeer.com, Crafted for All, or CRAFT x EDU. Please join me in congratulating the recipients:”
Meghna Jaradi
Offering a glass of water is a sign of hospitality, but in brewery taprooms, it’s not just a simple pint of tap water. This piece explores the work and the environmental and social considerations that go into breweries’ non-alcoholic water offerings.
Elizabeth Bera
This story will focus on how breweries welcome guests from various ethnic communities through game nights, such as hosting loteria, mahjong, dominos, etc. Games become a conduit for cultural exchange among players.
Ian Donley
This is first-person piece from the perspective of a person with autism, mixed with reporting from experts in neurodiversity, that explores how breweries can be a space for testing and practicing social interaction. What makes these brewery spaces unique as “playgrounds” for socializing? (this sounds like an intriguing piece, 1st on my list)
Anaïs Lecoq
This piece explores how women and non-binary people in France are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to festival safety. This piece briefly touches on the problems, but focuses on solutions that are coming from women and non-binary members of the French beer world.
Jose Abonce
Despite its ownership by a Korean-Polish-American family and the diversity of its neighborhood, inclusion among Marz Brewing staffing and customer base was not always the case and had to be cultivated. This story will examine how giving an employee ownership over her role allowed her to leverage her language skills and cultural understanding in service of engaging the Latinx community.
Supon Peter Dulin
This piece will unpack the economic and business development hurdles Vine Street overcame on its way to becoming Kansas City’s first Black-owned brewery, with a particular focus on economic development and financing hurdles. (financial inclusion is a big deal, this could be a very educational piece)
Amanda Thomas
This case study examines how the Mosaic State Brewers Collective inspires and empowers underrepresented people to build careers in the beer industry, asking whether this three-phase model could serve as a template for other such mentorship programs.