Black Lives Matter - July 31, 2020 Updates

Last week, we completed our 6th internal company forum, All About Donating! Below is an overview of the topics discussed company-wide, in an effort to learn, share, and grow. 

• FORUM 1 - All About Voting:

  a discussion on the importance and impact of donating, sharing resources and voting dates and deadlines across all of our markets. In the past 6 weeks, we’ve also implemented 8 additional hours of PTO for voting. 

• FORUM 2 - Internal & External Education:

  a deep dive into Black history and how it led to the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement. Also discussed was white privilege and allyship, and various educational resources for personal and family self-education were provided.  

• FORUM 3 - Using Your Voice:

  a look at how Milk Bar has historically used our voice and how we vow to strengthen our efforts moving forward, as well as individual anecdotes from team members on how they use theirs.  In the past 6 weeks, we’ve established a Legal Support Initiative at Milk Bar to help support those at the company who are protesting, and we’ve formed a Black Affinity Group at Milk Bar that will help ensure Black voices are heard and are affecting change within our own walls. 

• FORUM 4 - Supporting the Black Community:

  a look at the history of Black corporate America and inequalities that Black professionals face,  and ways both Milk Bar as a company and as individuals can support the Black community.

• FORUM 5 - Taking Care of Mental Health:

  led by guest speaker and therapist Jamila Bates, we took a deep dive into mental health,  learning more about its impact on the Black community, as well as mental health support at Milk Bar and coping mechanisms and tips from team members. In the past 6 weeks, we have implemented flexible mental health PTO and discrimination and harassment hotline. 

• FORUM 6 - All About Donating:

  a discussion of ways in which we can donate our time, money, skills and other resources, as well as goals for long term charitable partners and progress made so far. To date, we’ve made a corporate donation to Campaign Zero, and through the integration of a donation add-on on our website, thousands of customers have opted in to donate thousands of dollars and counting to Black Lives Matter and The Innocence Project.

While this series of forums are complete, our work is far from over.  Within the next 4 weeks, we will: 

• Assess company-wide feedback surrounding these forums in order to build a program for forums on an ongoing basis
• Conduct mandatory, company wide training on unconscious bias, diversity and inclusion, and microaggressions 
• Conduct deep dive sessions with our Front of House and Customer Experience teams focused on mental health.
• Host Back of House management meetings on diversity and inclusion 
• Confirm a long-term charitable partner and program

BAKE CLUB UPDATE:

If you've been able to catch an installment of Christina's Bake Club (on her Instagram Live), you know that as the height of the pandemic began, she made a commitment to show up daily with an hour of inspiration, positivity and joy through baking. In an effort to uplift and amplify Black and POC voices, she also has brought on her friends and special guests to share recipes that they love, from author Kristina Gill,  Queer Eye's Tan France, Bake Club members Eli & Jonah, student Jade Atkins from the Food & Finance School, and Milk Bar’s very own Meme Wilson sharing her family’s incredible pineapple casserole recipe.