Last fall, I sat down with four sommeliers as a group and individually to discuss challenges they have experienced in the restaurant industry and their desire to move it from diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness to antiracism.

These vulnerable conversations highlighted experiences of trauma and pain, but they did not end there. Solution oriented hope illuminated concrete ways the restaurant industry can make cultural shifts for healing.

As a writer, I feel each article is a sort of birthing process. However, truth-be-told, unlike a child, some articles are more special than others.

What makes one article more special than another? For me, it is about using my platform to shine a light on truths. Whether it’s a geopolitical article on the Moldovan wine industry, educating on ways winegrowers around the globe are combating climate change, illuminating the devastation caused by off-target drift on vineyards across the US, illuminating how Indigenous Chileans are finding a future of hope in wine, or this piece…four sommeliers sharing their experience and hope for a better restaurant industry.

If you are not a sommelier or work in the wine or restaurant industry, you may wonder what this article has to do with you? First, we all dine in restaurants at least occasionally. This article may aid in awareness of institutional racism. Two, the themes and experiences in this article expand well beyond just one industry. I think you will find this article speaks to all of us.

Sommeliers Share Insight On Transforming The Restaurant Industry From Racial Awareness To Antiracism

I sincerely hope you will take a moment to read it and share it with your friends, family, and social media platforms.

I realize Forbes is now a subscription platform, but they allow access to four free articles per month. And (insider tip), if you use your computer and your phone, you can access eight.

I welcome your thoughts and reflections on this article? What questions did it stir with you? Have you had similar experiences? How can we all heal and become antiracist together?