To celebrate Black History Month, BEACON, Newell’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) for Black employees and allies, hosted a variety of virtual events ranging from financial empowerment seminars to yoga and hip hop dance classes to family read-alongs, to shared engaging and educational content. Newell Brands employees also volunteered with the company’s nonprofit partner, Meals on Wheels Atlanta, in honor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and packed and delivered meals to metro Atlanta seniors in need.
February highlights included two virtual panel events, Black Men Excel and Black Women Excel. The panels were informative and inspiring discussions. Newell employees from all backgrounds took part as Black senior leaders shared what it takes to excel as a Black employee, mentorship, how to make Black employees a priority in hiring, thriving in your career and more.
Newell announced we joined other prominent companies in metro Atlanta, where we are headquartered, in committing to the ATL Action for Racial Equity. Led by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, this multi-year effort aims to generate meaningful change and dismantle systemic racism while making the Atlanta community a better place.
As we closed out Black History Month, Newell Brands was proud to remember the lives of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In 2020, we lost these three individuals whose legacies left us with a call to action to stand up against racial injustice. We will honor them and the memories of those individuals who lost their lives at the hands of racially-motivated violence and racial injustice with financial support for:
Georgia Black United Fund (GBUF): GBUF supports those in need with services in the areas that meet general human needs, including youth, education, health, veterans, culture and arts, and overall community development.
Black Women’s Health Imperative: BWHI is the only national organization dedicated solely to improving the health and wellness of our nation’s 21 million Black women and girls – physically, emotionally and financially.
Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM): BEAM aims to remove barriers that Black people experience getting access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing through education, training, advocacy and the creative arts.
These contributions further represent our commitment to eliminating systemic racism and racial inequity in our communities. It is a reminder that we need to celebrate Black History every day and we will continue doing the important work of fighting our own unconscious biases and fostering diversity, inclusion and belonging within Newell.