Why They Don’t Want Us to Use the Term Private Club (and why we do anyway)
By: Ryan Wilson
Tags: Exclusion, Startup Life, Private Club, Entrepreneurship, Systemic Racism

TGS IN ATLANTA

This past week the words “The Gathering Spot” appeared in the pages of the Wall Street Journal for the first time in an article that had very little to do with us. The article where we were mentioned was about a glitzy new private club founded by an aristocratic family in New York. This new venture has all of the hallmarks of a successful project — a historic building, famed architect, deep pockets and even deeper connections. Our mention came five paragraphs in:

“Members-only spaces have been sprouting up across major American cities in recent years, even if buzzy ventures like The Wing, which is aimed at millennial women, and the Gathering Spot, which boasts majority Black membership, arguably function as co-working spaces more than clubs.”

So, what’s the problem? In this article, The Gathering Spot & The Wing are presented as “others” in the private club industry, with the unnecessary mention of who comprises their memberships, and then a quick dismissal with the seemingly less legitimate “co-working” moniker. Why was it important to exclude us from the private club industry? Before we jump in, I think it’s important to share a little bit about how TGS got here.

The journey to build what would become The Gathering Spot began while I was working as a summer law clerk and attending Georgetown Law. It was the summer of 2013 and like many other people, I was deeply invested in the outcome of Trayvon Martin’s murder case. When Trayvon’s murderer was acquitted, I got an email from some friends with the subject “What Are We Going to Do?” After going back and forth with a few thoughts, I responded with the following on July 15, 2013:

“Do any of you know about any “talking clubs” in DC that get people together to discuss topics together? Wouldn’t it be cool to have a “club” in DC that would be used for people to come together and discuss and then act on ideas? A cross between a think tank and a country club (minus the elitism).

This is an idea off of the top of my head. But think if we had a house/building in DC that served as a place where thinkers, activists, business folks, politicians, and most importantly the average person could go to discuss ideas (social issues).”

To me, then and certainly now, the need for The Gathering Spot is about building a new type of community. Our goal is to curate spaces where people who were previously excluded from private clubs now have a place to gather and to be more than tolerated, but to be celebrated. A place where entry to the club isn’t about status or stature but about a willingness to connect and be helpful to others. A club that is distinctly Black. TGS is about challenging the traditional norms of who private clubs are for and what these spaces look and feel like.

What is special about this movement though is the community of members that call the club home. At The Gathering Spot, creatives, entrepreneurs and corporate executives share space. Our club has hosted some of the biggest figures and companies of our time, while also staying true to who we are. We build programs that blur the boundary between professional and social and challenge the models of how private clubs should engage in politics and community affairs. We know that the private club industry isn’t thought to be for us and that is precisely why we are carving a place for ourselves in it.

These differences do not make The Gathering Spot any less of a private club. What we are doing, together, represents the future of the private club industry. Although our mention in the WSJ article was brief, I don’t believe we can let comments like this go unacknowledged. Attempts to represent us as “other” negatively connects to the long and often painful history of private clubs and a broader practice in this country that has sought to discredit or dismiss the achievements of Black people. While we aren’t the first Black-owned private club or one that is focused on Black people, we certainly are one of the largest to ever exist. I’m not sure our community will get the recognition that we as a community probably deserve for the ways we have changed the private club industry, but that won’t stop us. At the end of the day, it isn’t what they call you but what you answer to. The Gathering Spot is a private club that will always be rooted in our culture and I’m proud to say we are here to stay.