Community has been at the heart of Ostri(chi)zed since day one.
My original brewer, Brittney Mikell, is opening Bubble Line Brewing Company, Minnesota’s first Black woman-owned craft brewery in St. Paul in 2025. Brittney and I met in the Community Entrepreneurship Program at St. Thomas. Brittney, like me, wants to brew drinks for everyone and use beverages as a vehicle for good. I met my ostrich artist (yes, this is a job title!) John in my Peer Recovery Specialist training.
These connections have been invaluable to me, and I have found that some of the most rewarding relationships have been with people who are so different from me. Regardless of our differences, we have treated each other with dignity and respect, and in doing so, have been able to embody the inclusive community I am trying to make more accessible to everyone.
Recognizing that Pride is often inextricably linked with alcohol and that gay bars have long been a staple of queer gathering, I set out to provide alternatives to uplift the community. As a part of the solution, I created and organized a Sober Experiences Awesome event at Pride in 2023, and am launching my alcohol-free beverage “Ostri(chi)zed,” for Pride in 2024!
