Photo: https://coffeeforequity.org/newsarticles
Atlanta, GA, September 28th, 2020 - The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE) is a not for profit organization whose mission is to build greater racial diversity and equity in the U.S. coffee industry. Formed in July, 2020 against the backdrop of racial tension and social unrest throughout US cities, the CCRE was born following the overwhelming response to Phyllis Johnson’s Open Letter to US coffee professionals.
The CCRE seeks to:
- Align strategic partnerships with individuals and organizations for entry into the coffee industry, while ensuring opportunities that go beyond entry level positions
- Build marketing and public relations programs that highlight historical and current contributions, we believe coffee’s future is rooted in understanding the role that race has played in coffee’s history
- Create community and support via empowerment programs
- Develop accelerator programs, including mentorship opportunities for young coffee professionals
- Educate on implicit biases and build a diverse talent pool to pave the way for a more equitable future for the next generation of coffee professionals.
The CCRE sees diversity as a strength; its Board of Directors is comprised of 16 stakeholders within the global coffee community spanning 6 countries, and collectively speaking 13 languages. Reflective of the diverse experience each has within the coffee industry, they all envision a greater racial participation in areas of the industry included but not limited to: manufacturing, packaging, trading, distribution, education, media, research, international development, non for profits, entrepreneurship, and corporate.
“NOW is our opportunity for building partnerships to combat racism. Black Americans and the world are in desperate need of change that requires your participation.” – Phyllis Johnson, CCRE Founder.
The CCRE celebrates their launch this Thursday, October 1st, 2020 with a live webinar event hosted by Johnson and key coffee industry professionals in attendance. You can register for this event here. To learn more and find out how you can get involved, go to their website or leave a message on one of their social media accounts.
CCRE Website: https://coffeeforequity.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffeeforequity/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coffeeforequity
Instagram: @coffeeforequity
Twitter: @coffeeforequity