Uncle Nearest Retreat (Bailey Solomon Class 2029)

 Being in the speakeasy at the Uncle Nearest Distillery in Tennessee taught me about history and legacy, specifically as it relates to the Women’s Suffrage Movement.   It was literally the best part of my time spent there.   Walking into an ice cream parlor, through a refrigerator door, and tunneling into a speakeasy was such a cool experience; it was unexpected.   Imagine gender making you a second-class citizen, and then discovering a place where you can be free to be yourself.  The speakeasy stood out to me because after being at an all-girls high school and now Spelman, there are so many places and situations in history that I have learned where women haven’t had rights or haven’t been allowed in places.  So, I found it surprising, or unexpected in a good way, that this speakeasy was the only place where women were able to be themselves.  

It was also through my experience with the speakeasy that I discovered that I didn’t know as much as I thought about the women’s suffrage movement.  To think that women would have to hide out in the dark, hidden in a bar to be themselves, made me sad.  However, it was heartwarming at the same time to know that this part of black history at Uncle Nearest could coincide with women’s suffrage and history altogether.  

I think that with everything in life, there is ethical discernment.  I believe that it is irresponsible to create a product with the intent of using that product to harm people.  While there are so many harmful effects of alcohol consumption, such as addiction, broken families, and death, I don’t think that you can really blame the creators of liquor for how people misuse it.  With that being said, I do not believe that Uncle Nearest had the science to know the long-term effects of alcohol consumption. 

It’s important to also discern the fact that prohibition banned the consumption and distribution of liquor in the United States during the 1920s, so there was some illegal activity going on to produce the liquor that people consumed, which may have caused some or many.  That leaves much to unpack, but the responsibility still ultimately rests on the individuals.  Though prohibition was put in place to prevent many social issues, they occurred before the science of addiction and genetics were really understood, which also challenges the ethics of success at the cost of others.  It truly is a complicated and layered issue.  Yet I don’t believe that we can blame one industry for such a big issue.   Liquor certainly was not made with the intent of it being abused, but unfortunately, that is what has happened in many cases.  

This retreat invited me to see myself differently, as it allowed me to step off Spelman’s campus to immerse myself in the lives of others.  Specifically, being part of this Honors program experience allowed me to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors and see the power of the Black dollar. It was very impressive to read, learn, and experience Love and Whiskey because we don’t often have the opportunity to witness generational wealth.  During our tour, our guide shared that the Nearest Green Foundation established a program where they send all of their descendants to college tuition-free.  I thought that was amazing because it's directly connected to keeping the black dollar in the black community by investing in future leaders and ultimately contributing to generational wealth.  This experience allowed me to reflect on the sacrifices that my ancestors have made for me and my brother to have the educational experiences that we have been afforded.  I recognize the great responsibility that I now have to do well and pay it forward, like so many generations before me.