Do you want to be a leader of change? Listen to Lia Jones
“It is not just the invite to the home, but how you are treated once you are inside the home.”
Last week, the Women’s Wine Guild of Colorado hosted a two-week educational forum. The keynote speaker, Lia Jones, is the founder of Diversity in Wine & Spirits, a non-profit organization promoting diversity within the greater hospitality industry.
After listening to Lia, I wrote about my top three takeaways from her address.
1. Diversity ≠ only Black people.
Kicking off Lia’s session were several questions related to tokenism in the wine industry. Lia mentioned how white people need to detach the Black Lives Matter movement from the broader idea of diversity and inclusion.
Lia tells us to expand our spectrum of what diversity is.
The point being, if the wine industry magically diversified with Black, Queer, Mexican, or Asian, etc. leaders at every level of the industry, but still dismissed our disabled community members — would this mean diversity was “achieved?”
Of course not.
This does not mean the wine industry should stop promoting Black wine professionals because, of course, it must continue to do so, but this means individuals, and the entire wine industry, can hold these two thoughts without nullifying the other:
• Promote Black professionals within the wine industry.
• Promote all other races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and ideologies.
True allies of diversity consciously and consistently push for the inclusion of all minority groups, otherwise, our actions will be ineffective towards the long term goal of diversity within the industry.
This new era in our society needs to provide historically marginalized individuals opportunities to express their individuality and talent across the wine industry.
Whether you are in the wine trade or not, each of us must remind ourselves to collaborate and promote the inclusion of ALL types of people who share a passion for wine.
If you need an example, a perfect one is this guild. The Women’s Wine Guild of Colorado has allowed me, a gay man, to write for their blog. They could’ve easily said, “Oh no, I’m sorry, this organization is only for women.” Instead, they opened their doors, creating an opportunity to express myself, for which I am grateful.
2. Think about Equity.
“We as humans are not taught to think about diversity, but equity.”
“If you’re in a workplace and someone tells you good job, and you get that affirmation, it feels so good. And it’s not about what I look like. It’s about what I’ve provided, my skills, my talent, my input.”
These quotes from Lia tell us that a natural feeling we desire as humans is equity. We want to be seen and valued equally as individuals for what we contribute.
For example, if two people do the same task, each expects to be compensated the same or given equal opportunities.
Lia explains equity can also be many other things such as a salary, vacation, promotion, or ownership stake.
Suppose minorities start to get ownership stakes with wineries, wine shops, import companies, etc. In that case, these individuals will have more agency to express their ideas, gain the respect of industry leaders, and usher in more diverse, wine professionals.
When any industry consistently closes its doors and fails to create new ones for marginalized groups, then it’s obvious seeing how the diversity disparity throughout the wine world has swelled.
An illuminating example of equity disparity for Black wine professionals is this excerpt from a Forbes interview of wine writer and founder of Black Wine Professionals Julia Coney:
“I had a Black wine buyer tell me she’s been a buyer for 15 years, and she’s only been asked on three trips. That’s a problem.”
As well as….
“I’ve been to blogger conferences where 10 out of 300 people are black, and people ask, “really, you’ve been to Champagne, the one in France?”
These examples scream out the obvious inequity and racism in the wine industry.
Imagine if that wine buyer was you.
Do three industry trips abroad over a 15-year career sound equitable?
Hell no.
There are wine buyers (likely mostly white and male) that get industry invites to travel abroad two, three, sometimes four times a year.
These inequities snowball over time for Black and fellow minority wine professionals. Imagine their exhaustion. And this occurs in their place of work, as they are trying to make a living like everyone else. Remember, these same groups face numerous other systems of oppression on a daily basis.
The wine industry must understand that if they want to have a new generation of diverse professionals they need to seek them out and hire them ASAP.
Although, if these individuals are only hired and not mentored and provided growth opportunities, then the industry is essentially hoarding them like the rock collection of a 10-year-old.
It’s great to find and hire diverse talent, but if those employees are not allowed to express their personalities and workplace ideas, their hiring is meaningless.
If you forget, remember this quote from Lia:
“It is not just the invite to the home, but how you are treated once you are inside the home.”
3. Never say, “I couldn’t find them.”
A favorite part of Lia’s speech was her direct lesson on how to find diverse talent many in the wine industry say they are seeking.
She recalled asking herself about Transgender representation in the wine industry. Instead of reaching out to a hiring firm or asking others to do it for her, Lia went and did the work herself.
After just a few moments of Googling, Lia found a fabulous Trans-winemaker in Oregon named Vivianne Marks and her winery Ram Cellars.
Many in the wine world do mental gymnastics on how and where to find diverse talent like Vivianne Marks.
Lia’s anecdote is a painfully simplistic lesson.
Google it. Google it Google it.
We all are capable of Googling things (quite profound, I know). If you want to create a more diverse community, don’t worry if you’re doing it correctly. Just go out and do it.
On an individual level, working towards diversity is all about one’s genuine desire to be a part of the change. No singular person can be the agent of change in the wine industry or society.
Lia Jones reminds us there is strength in numbers and community.
If you are unsure where to start, take Lia’s advice — Go ask to volunteer at organizations in your local area or online. Today, so much work is completed online, so don’t hesitate to reach out anywhere in the world for opportunities to help.
Small, consistent steps will lead to the long-lasting change the wine industry needs.
Below is a shortlist of organizations to get you started: