Jamaal Lemon, Award-Winning Author and Advocate, Joins Craft x EDU Board of Directors
RICHMOND, VA – Jamaal Lemon, acclaimed beer writer, James Beard Nominated journalist, North American Guild of Beer Writers (NAGBW) Award Winner and International Association of Culinary Professionals Finalist, has joined the Craft x EDU Board of Directors. A Charleston native—currently residing in South Florida. Jamaal became obsessed with beer after completing an internship in The Czech Republic, Belgium, and Germany. When the that experience came to a close, Jamaal put his degree in English and love of culture to good use as an award winning writer and journalist for the beer industry.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging blow to our plans at Craft x EDU,” said Executive Director, Dr. J Jackson-Beckham. “We experienced Board turnover and had to shelve one of our core programs. As we look forward into 2023, we are doing some resetting, refreshing, and rethinking with an infusion of fresh energy from the board.”
Craft x EDU is planning a end-of-year Board recruitment. However, Jackson-Beckham calls Lemon’s recruitment a moment of serendipity. “Jamaal and I were part of a conversation about industry outreach in an entirely different context. As I listened to the insights he offered about community outreach, engaging HBCUs, and thinking about brewing activity in terms of environmental remediation, I new he would be an invaluable member of the Board and asked if he was interested in serving.”
Since 2016, Jamaal has set out to immerse himself in all things beer related—from Cicerone certification to becoming a member of the DC Home Brewers’ Club, to a frequent contributor for online publications (Good Beer Hunting and Huckberry) as a journalist. Jamaal also co-hosts the “Help the Pour Podcast—Conversations with Women(only), about Women, Over a Pint of Beer”. The project’s mission is to explore the impact of women in the beer industry and introduce the culture of beer to women, who may consider themselves novices.
He is the author of the 2020 NAGBW Award winning article for best commentary, “Mutated Anxieties” and author of the James Beard Nominated three-part article and podcast series, “Tek Cyear Uh De Root “ – a historical and contemporary look into Charleston’s German Shutzenfest and the African American involvement in beer spaces, past and present
He led a social initiative aimed to promote conversations related to diversity and inclusivity through beer collaborations with: Edmunds Oast, Lost Lagers, Good Beer Hunting, Saint Joseph’s University and the Barrel and Flow Beer Festival in Pittsburgh, PA.
Jamaal’s expertise lies within his love of beer and food pairings, music, culture, and using beer as a vehicle to join different ideals with different cultures—highlighting the harmonies that are discovered as they relate to gender, race, class and environmental sustainability.
About Craft x EDU
Craft x EDU (pronounced “craft by E-D-U”) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to champion inclusion, equity, and justice in the craft brewing community through education and professional development. Craft x EDU envisions a craft brewing community that reflects the vibrancy and diversity of American communities. We bring together aspiring and established craft beer professionals, craft breweries and members of allied trades, educational and vocational institutions, and enthusiastic craft beer drinkers who want to shape what it means to belong in the craft brewing community while making positive social change for disadvantaged and marginalized communities and individuals in the craft brewing industry and beyond.