Pearce Fleming called me a few days after my article series, “Tek Cyear uh de Root,” was published on Good Beer Hunting in early July. The three-part piece I wrote was a historical look into the culture of racist exclusion in Charleston, South Carolina and its beer spaces. Fleming owns Commonhouse Aleworks in North Charleston; prior to the call, I didn’t know him and he didn’t know me, but we had a lengthy conversation about that exclusion, and how it relates to the city’s beer scene. We spoke for an hour and change, and as the conversation came to an end, Fleming made it clear that he wanted to hold a forum for those who have been on the receiving end of racial exclusion—and he wanted to have it at his brewery.
Normally, my response to this would have been littered with skepticism, but I couldn’t ignore his reason why—“I don’t know, but I want to know.” With so much talk about community and inclusion, what’s not addressed as much is how to foster the two—or where to begin if you want to make a change but aren’t sure how to start. Fleming’s outreach, his willingness to admit his lack of knowledge in addressing these issues, struck me as a fundamental response that most are reluctant to reveal. Our society is so adamant about being right, but many lack the humility to admit being wrong, or not having the answers.
As a result, on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021 at Commonhouse Aleworks, Pearce Fleming created an opportunity for voices to be heard in a space that hasn’t always been open to them, due in part to events that happened 150 years ago. The Tek Cyear uh de Root Festival transformed Fleming’s brewery, and also led to a panel discussion with myself and others who shared similar experiences of exclusion within beer, with many small business owners and beer professionals in attendance to supplement. The festival succeeded in supporting Fleming’s belief that beer could “bring everyone to the table,” and even though many may not have had personal experiences like the ones we shared during that panel, they all listened and asked questions.
I think we can all take a page from Fleming, too. That desire to learn more—while having the humility to understand “it ain’t about me, right now”—is testimony of the power of knowing what you don’t know, and working to change that.
Words,Jamaal Lemon