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Alfonso "Ali" Wright

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@ Weeksville Heritage Center

Alfonso "Ali" Wright, Obden Mondesir

Description

Alfonso Wright was born in Canarsie in 1981. His mother is Jamaican, and his father is from North Carolina. The family moved to New Jersey when he was still a child. Everyone cooked in his family, which is how he got interested in it. His mother used to drink tea in a particular way, which is how he got interested in tea as well. He speaks about the colonial history of tea in Jamaica, with Britain. He went to college at Hampton University, and then moved to Atlanta, GA in 2003. While in college, he enjoyed eating at smaller, mom and pop restaurants. In Atlanta, he enjoyed eating at the diverse food scene. While at Hampton, which is an HBCU, he struggled with the type of education he received, which was a lot about respectability politics and how to succeed around white people. In Atlanta, he worked many different jobs, but most notably he worked in retail and as an event promoter. He began to feel conflicted about selling things to people that they didn't need. He moved to Washington, DC, and eventually moved back to New York City. While in a relationship, he got the idea to open a tea shop. HE started with buying the URL, and branding. Meanwhile, he became a certified tea sommelier, as well as worked for another tea shop to get to know the industry. He participated in events and festivals. In 2019, he opened the store officially. Different public resources were helpful to...
Type:
Oral History
Format:
Wav
Created Date:
March 2, 2019
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From Collection

Meals As Collective Memory

Record Contributed By

Weeksville Heritage Center