Equal Measures: Diversity in the Bar Industry
September 22nd 2020
“Fucking nigger, I’m going to get you fucking nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger…” louder and louder, with more venom each time the word was said over and over again until eventually my good friend Lauren Mote stopped the zoom session.
‘Did that really just happen?’ I asked myself, because it felt so surreal, disgusting, vile and full of hate. Surely I had misheard the words, maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, perhaps he only said nigger once but because it’s such a horrible word it echoed in my mind? No. It did happen and it was as bad as I thought it was, and the reality has kicked in that I had just been ambushed. I was targeted and racially abused on a zoom webinar session for Tales of The Cocktail while lots of people from all other the world watched me be dehumanised by a racist in the most cowardly way. I felt sick, drained, vulnerable, emotionally empty and then I shed a tear or two before pulling myself together again. Welcome to the world of a black man in the hospitality industry in 2020.
Let’s go back a few months to understand why although this situation was disgusting and shocking it isn’t actually all that surprising to me that an opportunist racist individual would hijack a zoom webinar. It is sad but true that in our great industry these people exist. I hear comments and snide remarks all the time.
30th June 2020: Imbibe live and the first time I had the opportunity to openly share my plans on social media regarding an independent platform I was in the process of setting up called Equal Measures.
The main motivation and driving force behind setting up Equal Measures was to help eradicate racism that exists in our industry through creating a new on-line education platform, workshops, seminars, focus groups and a recruitment drive directly focused on BAME communities which I’ve planned for spring 2021. If I’m honest the positive response I received after the session was somewhat overwhelming and blew me away, I felt an even greater motivation, desire and passion to make a positive contribution to our industry for people who care about equality in society on any level. There were some people who questioned why I was doing it, was it because of the Black Lives Matter movement etc… the answer is no - it’s something that’s been on my mind for years because there is frequent racism in our industry that people either don’t see or turn an blind eye to. They probably didn’t believe me. I hope they do now.
There is much work to be done to change the way people of colour are perceived, underrepresented and treated in hospitality, and I need your help to do it. I am asking you to join me by doing a few simple things that can make a big impact. The first step is recognition which brings me nicely to Black History Month.
Black History Month Equal Measures Campaign
Black History Month was first launched in London in 1987, the main aim was for the local community to challenge racism and educate themselves and others about certain historical events involving black people that had not been not taught in schools. Since then it has evolved into not only a nationally recognised event, but also resonates far further than the local community it was set up to educate.
Of course much has changed in 33 years since October 1987 - when ‘pump up the volume’ (anyone remember that?) was number One in the UK charts and Margaret Thatcher had been re-elected earlier in the year at the general election held in June, making her the longest continuously serving Prime Minister in the UK. The development of Black History Month in the last three decades has been in part down to a much greater positive impact of black culture into wider UK society, but also fractious parts of working and middle class communities uniting and coming together over common social injustices that affected many people. In short, during the late 80’s yuppies, chunky mobile phones, money, city bankers and the upper classes were omnipresent but their time was coming to an end and it was the beginning of a change that would last for a generation. 90’s Britain became known as an age of excitement, possibility and chaos, a rise in multiculturalism and alternative media challenged convention and really did lay the foundation for the next two decades.
OK, the history lesson is now over but I think it’s really important to understand how those events led to us being where we are today. It’s hard to imagine that there has ever been a point in the last three decades where Black History Month has held more relevance, importance or the potential for positive impact and change as it does this year. The reasons are very clear and there is an exhaustive list of social injustices that I can mention which have genuinely outraged anyone who has any moral value and cares for social equality.
How do we work together to enforce positive change?
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel around the world visiting and working in some of the best bars in the world. Wherever I’ve been I’ve always noticed that if I’ve really studied the motivations, themes and inspirations behind the majority of cocktail menus there is usually a dramatic underrepresentation of cocktails inspired by people of colour. I’ve always found this a great shame if you consider the incredible and obvious contributions black culture has made to modern day society.
So, I have a simple request to all my friends who are bartenders, restaurateurs, bar owners, brand ambassadors and in fact anyone who cares about equality. As part of Black History Month 2020 I’d like for you to create a special cocktail that’s been inspired by a person of colour who has had a positive impact on society. It doesn’t have to be a celebrity, someone who has passed away or a historical figure… it can be a key worker, a friend, an associate, a colleague or absolutely anyone you decide. The cocktail just needs to be posted on social media with the #EqualMeasuresUK. That’s all there is to it. I will then repost it on the @EqualMeasuresUK Instagram page and together we can drive awareness around the positive impact people of colour have had that often goes under the radar.
Are you with me?