Newell Brands is proud to celebrate our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging (DI&B) every day, and May was no exception, as we honored several DI&B holidays and heritage recognitions. In addition to Mental Health Awareness Month, we recognized Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day. As always, our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) shared educational online content, hosted engaging conversations and led a variety of in-person and virtual events.

NAAPA, our ERG for AAPI employees and allies, hosted origami and Mahjong classes, an employee dialog about adoption in Asian countries and an external speakers' series including Winnie Chan, Senior Director of Education Programs at Child Trends. Winnie spoke about the importance of leadership and civic engagement in connecting people to one another and their communities. She encouraged NAAPA members to “lift as you climb,” and spoke about the power of “bringing people along” and investing in team members and mentees, including those with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

Cinco de Mayo presented a fun opportunity for HOLA, our ERG for Hispanic and Latinx employees and allies, to host a virtual cooking class with Mexican actress and TV host, Paloma Marquez. Paloma spoke with members about the Cinco de Mayo experience in the United States while demonstrating how to make air fryer enchiladas and an authentic Mexican Margarita using Oster® products. Participants walked away with recipes to try at home and a few lucky winners won Oster products as well.

In recognition of Memorial Day, VETS, our ERG for veterans, military family members and allies, hosted Brigadier General (Ret) Becky Halstead to speak on leadership, living your values and how Memorial Day is about remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. General Halstead was the first female graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point) to attain the rank of Brigadier General and she served in the United States Army for 27 years.

We are fortunate to benefit from the creative and engaging programming led by our ERGs to honor these special occasions. Their leadership makes our One Newell culture stronger and ensures that our employees feel a true sense of belonging at Newell Brands.

To learn more about Newell Brands ongoing DI&B efforts, click here.