Being Black in the Hospitality Industry - Part I with Charles St. Clair (Black Horizon Brewing Co.) & Hope Johnson

What's On Tap was originally created in response to the systemic shock bars and restaurants were facing due to COVID-19. Little did we know, 2020 had something else up its sleeve. While many of us were hunkered down from the pandemic, the video of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officers came to light.

Already on the heels of other high-profile injustices against Black people, the Black Lives Matter movement swelled like never before. TappedIn, the creators of the What's On Tap video podcast, posted on social media (@get_tapped) a declaration that we wanted to "Stop, Listen, Empathize, and Act" on this issue. This is our listening phase. We decided to pause our coronavirus-focused podcast episodes and listen to what it is like to be "Black in the Hospitality Industry." The next few episodes will be a series of interviews with people who have these unique and personal perspectives. We are seeking to better understand how our Black brothers and sisters in the food and beverage industry might experience life differently, with an emphasis on their career in the industry. We are committed to listening with an open mind and asking questions with answers that might make us uncomfortable so that we can learn and grow.

We were lucky enough to record the first episode in this series on Juneteenth, at the only active Black-owned brewery in Illinois - Black Horizon Brewing Company in Willowbrook. We sat down with Charles St. Clair, co-owner of Black Horizon, and Hope Johnson, a long-time service industry professional with 18 years of restaurant and bar experience in Chicago and the Baltimore-area. Topics range from being the only Black person working at a bar/restaurant, discrimination, systemic racism, removal of confederate statues and naming of army bases (Charles is also an Army veteran who was stationed at Fort Bragg), to suggestions on how non-Black people can help effect change. We appreciate their willingness to share with us their experiences, thoughts, and recommendations!