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ORAL HISTORY

J Jackson-Beckham

Crafted for All

J “Dr. J” Jackson-Beckham is the Founder and Principal of Crafted for All. Born and raised in northern Virginia, Dr. J grew up around her family’s gardens. She was avidly involved in sports, which she continued to participate in while attending Virginia Tech. While in college, Dr. J also became awakened to the systems of oppression that impacted her life as a queer person of color, as well as the lives of others. Additionally, Dr. J worked in bars and restaurants in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where she connected with queer communities in the area’s gay bar scene. At this time she also began to learn about craft beer. She relocated to San Diego, CA in 2004, where she earned her Master’s in Communication Studies and began homebrewing on her own. Dr. J went on to pursue her doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007 and continued homebrewing while working at a garden supplies store that sold homebrewing kits. Since completing her dissertation on the beer industry’s cultural economy, Dr. J has taught at the university level and has also founded Crafted for All to help craft beverage companies build more inclusive and equitable practices and communities. She also established Craft x EDU to build and advocate for justice and inclusion in the brewing industry through education.