Shakera Jones: Open Your Eyes Drinks Industry, People of Color Need Your Agency
Shakera Jones is a writer, educator, and creator of BlackGirlsDineToo, a lifestyle brand, blog, and social media space that serves as a guide to the world of high-end food and wine.
Shakera’s energetic voice in the wine industry has been scratching at the surface of an important reality: that people of color are underrepresented in the US alcoholic beverage industry.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
How Shakera Jones got introduced to wine
Why Shakera created BlackGirlsDineToo
What Shakera is demanding from the wine industry in terms of inclusiveness
How influencers can contribute to promoting diversity in the wine industry
Shakera talks about what being an ally means
Shakera’s guide to making restaurants more welcoming to everyone
Improving inclusiveness in off-premise wine sales for retail wine shops
Shakera talks about her podcast, A Glass for Every Palate
In this episode…
There’s an ongoing issue in the drinks industry that needs to be addressed. Whether it be at retail stores, in restaurants, or wine events—people of color are grossly underrepresented. But why? Is it due to their lack of interest or is it because they aren’t made to feel welcome in the wine space? According to Shakera Jones, it's the latter, and it’s the reason why she’s at the forefront of efforts to change that through her writing, speaking, wine education, and more.
Shakera says that agency, visibility, transparency, and hiring practices are going to play a massive role if any change will take place in the industry. She also emphasized that everyone should try to become an ally to drive inclusiveness in the wine industry into reality.
Find out more about Shakera Jones of BlackGirlsDineToo as she talks to Alexi Cashen about how diversity can get a more stable footing and attention in the drinks industry, what it truly means to be an ally means, and what industry players can do to make the industry itself more welcoming to people of color.
Resources Mentioned in this episode
Sponsor for this episode...
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