Taryn Allen (Co' 29): Love, Legacy, and the Lessons of Uncle Nearest

    The retreat to Shelbyville, Tennessee, to immerse ourselves in the experience of Uncle Nearest Distillery was nonetheless fulfilling and inspiring. Beginning with the bus ride from our illustrious campus through the beautiful landscape of Tennessee was such a lively experience. Seeing beautiful moments and the small-town charm, the history, and its impact kept racing through my mind. As we pulled into the Uncle Nearest Distillery, the greenery and the sweet vanilla scent of the fermenting whiskey immediately grounded me back to the story I had read this past summer. Nathan “Nearest” Green, the enslaved Black distiller who taught Jack Daniel the craft of whiskey-making, was no longer just a historical figure in Fawn Weaver’s Love & Whiskey. Standing on the very land where his skill and creativity once thrived, I could sense the weight of his legacy.

    Being in this place offered an in-depth connection to history’s contradictions within the Black community. Danielle Allen reminds us in Our Declaration that freedom is not an abstract ideal but an ongoing practice. The distillery grounds and my lovely tour guide accentuated that truth in every room we were shown. Green’s mastery shaped an American industry even as the system of slavery denied him recognition and profit. Coming from the cocoon that is Spelman, in a rich, civil rights history-filled city like Atlanta, entering rural Tennessee only sharpened the absurdity Nearest faced. Reflecting on my visit, I could trace an unbroken line from the injustices of the past to the entrepreneurship celebrated today, feeling both pride and a sense of loss for what was experienced.

    Yet the visit also raised uncomfortable ethical questions. Whiskey is a product that delights, but it can wound. In my honors English class with Dr. Hite, reading Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and watching So Yun Um’s documentary Liquor Store Dreams, there is a disconcerting complexity within the industry and the effects on the community it serves. Weaver also acknowledges that Uncle Nearest positions itself not just as a brand but as a form of restorative storytelling and community investment. Still, as Robin D.G. Kelley argues in Freedom Dreams, true liberation demands that we imagine beyond the boundaries of existing oppressive systems. Just as bell hooks discussed in her essay, “Loving Blackness as Political Resistance,” personal gain versus the collective good: can a luxury whiskey, no matter the narrative, fully reconcile the harms of alcohol in communities already scarred by addiction? Weaver’s distillery’s success is inspiring, but it also carries the responsibility to address the very real social costs of its product.

    This tension pushed me toward what the Honors Program calls “curated inwardness,” the practice of turning outward experiences into self-reflection. Frank X Walker’s Turn Me Loose gives voice to those silenced by history and asks us to listen deeply. On the distillery grounds, I wasn’t just a student trying to complete an assignment but rather a part of a great conversation concerning the past and present. I learned to place myself out of the academic part and just experience being a part of a larger story, one that demands engagement beyond academic achievement.

    The retreat reminded me that learning is embodied, and it's alive. Reading about Green and Weaver provided the knowledge, but walking the property provided understanding. The sweet wood smell, the calm Tennessee air, and the presence of my Spelman sisters closed the gap between analysis and action. The retreat made it clear that history is not static. It lives in places, products, and choices we make every day.

    As we boarded the bus back to Atlanta, I carried more than a memory of whiskey barrels and big green hills. Watching the sunset upon the Tennessee mountains, I pondered how I can transform recognition into responsibility. Our readings, including Allen’s insistence on practiced freedom, Kelley’s radical dreaming, and Walker’s call to bear witness, equip me to respond. The visit to Uncle Nearest confirmed that ideas gain power when they move off the page and into the world. Loving Blackness, honoring legacy, and questioning entrepreneurship are not separate tasks; together they shape how we live.

- Taryn Allen

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