In 2012, I was the first person of African American descent to attain the professional certification of Master Sommelier.

My name is Thomas Price and I’m writing to share some thoughts on Diversity and Inclusion, and my journey therein.  In full transparency, I never pursued the MS certification to be a pioneer or leader.  The test was so damn hard and took 9 years to pass, so I was unaware of my passing’s potential significance to the wine industry.

When the dust settled after passing the exam in May of 2012, I started to realize and research this achievement. I had no desire to promote myself, I was just curious. I mentioned it to a few people, but then let it exist as it was – the cherry on top of 9 years of intense rigor and unrelenting focus. As it sunk in I was really humbled and honored, to be honest, it still makes me emotional every day.

I Felt Guilty About Not Lending My Voice

Fast forward to 2020 and the maelstrom that this past year has been for everyone, in every conceivable cultural, health – both mental and physical – and socioeconomic way… I experienced some serious remorse about my identity for the first time.  Why? I felt guilty about not lending my voice to potentially helping drive change sooner.  I was really down on myself about not recognizing my role in helping others who were marginalized and did not feel included in our industry, or the world for that matter.

Despite now serving on two Diversity Committees, as the Chairman of a Board of Directors specializing in Education Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and as a student enrolled in Cornell Universities D&I for Human Resources certification, that feeling of selfishness still resides.  I am certainly hyper aware of the challenges that face us all moving forward. It seems so difficult to do or say a non-polarizing thing for anyone.

We Can All Be the Change

Referring to the aforementioned remorse, I decided to take some advice that I often give to others on the various committees on which I serve: Look towards the future and live strongly in the present, that is where we can all be the change. This journey will never be over.

That is one of the reasons that I am so honored to be able to share thoughts and ideas on this platform, and look forward to engaging with everyone soon”