Kayce Brown Honors Retreat - Love and Whiskey: The Perfect Blend
The retreat offered a simple, yet powerful reminder – history is always alive. This echoed through my head as I walked the Tennessee grounds. The Uncle Nearest Distillery in Tennessee taught me that even through trials and tribulations, success can still prevail. I felt a greater weight of history and the elements of slavery that reading failed to provide. Standing where (close to) Nearest Green had once distilled was unreal. I felt so close to history and close to such a monumental moment – a moment that the book could only describe. The travel from Atlanta to Tennessee was long, but necessary. The agriculture in Tennessee is vastly different from Atlanta. Atlanta is known as the cornerstone for the Civil Rights Movement, while Tennessee played a pivotal role in voting rights for women. Seeing a modern Atlanta compared to Tennessee portrayed historical advancements, but it also showcased the work that still needs to be done both socially and politically.
During the retreat, we were not just exposed to the successes and accomplishments of the distillery, but we gained a deeper understanding about the challenges and hardships that were embedded in the Love and Whiskey story. Racism, slavery, and segregation alone presented a number of misfortunes and sought to block the telling of Nearest Green’s story. Despite obvious challenges, his story lives on and is the epitome of succeeding through something that delights even as it wounds. What exactly does that mean? I pondered this question for a while and even considered my own life and experiences. I believe that succeeding through pain teaches resilience, perseverance, and leaves room for growth. Often passion can surpass hardships and inevitably motivates one to continue forward or even march towards a goal. In this case, Uncle Nearest continued to distill excellence despite the cruelty of his era and constant pressure to quell his accomplishments. His legacy teaches others that if you find passion in something, then disapproval, obstacles, lack of support, and injustice should never bring silence. True success has a way of prevailing even when forces act as blockades.
Many find passion in entrepreneurship and venture capital. As an entrepreneur, everything you produce or sell is a reflection of you and your business or establishment. Regardless of your employees’ actions, if your product is not one worth consuming, that reflects back onto the entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are required to answer for everything produced, understanding every nuance and facet of the products. When entrepreneurs are able to generate mass revenue, impact their customers, and gain recognition, then they begin to cross into the responsibility for what they sell. With these responsibilities comes high expectations. Daily, Fawn Weaver is thrown into the spotlight as the co-founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. She is not just an entrepreneur, but an African American one, adding even more responsibility to her role. She not only must seek dominance in a field traditionally dominated by white men, adapt quickly to change, find ways to stand out, generate revenue, consistently produce a meaningful product, but Fawn Weaver is charged with reaching the black community and paying homage to Uncle Nearest and his accomplishments. She is saddled with responsibilities, but is clearly carrying them out effortlessly as we learned of the success of her business.
Stepping outside into a setting like this puts what was once on the page on full display. It forced me to look at Nearest Green’s story from a different perspective. A perspective that considers the time period, cultural changes, and the legacy of our people. Being physically present in the distillery allowed me to better interpret the events of the story and the experiences of our people. Seeing the photos of Ida B. Wells and women marching for voting rights in Tennessee sent chills down my back. As a political enthusiast, and aspiring lawyer, these photos alone inspired me to continue my journey towards my career and desire to be a change agent. I began to place myself in those roles and consider if I would have had the same strength, grit, and determination those women had generations ago. Notably, this retreat not only gave me a greater appreciation for Spelman, but I confirmed my thoughts about an honors student. Honors students are high valued, reflective thinkers who look beyond the page. The Honors Program encourages students to consider history, challenge events, and experiences that bring controversy or promising change.
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