Starbucks has broadened its equity and inclusion efforts just ahead of MLK Day.

As a part of its latest initiative to support more Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), the renowned coffee company has created a way for Starbucks partners, both employees and customers, to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. just ahead of Monday’s holiday.

The efforts further Dr. King’s commitment to both service and belonging.

Kicking off on Monday, Jan. 17, Starbucks will provide three virtual volunteer opportunities with organizations that include Junior Achievement, MENTOR, and City Year. All three nonprofits are also recipients of The Starbucks Foundation Grants that were launched to support BIPOC youth.

The Starbucks Commitment

Dennis Brockman, who serves as Starbucks’ Chief Global Inclusion and Diversity Officer, has tapped into his own experiences within the Jim Crow era to make a change within the organization.

“I was exposed to the realities of Jim Crow at an early age. Segregation, disparities in health, wealth, housing, and employment weren’t an anomaly, they were life,” he explained.”The idea that a young Black boy could dream of one day going to college and aspire to be something great existed in my home with my mother and siblings, in my church, and within my community, but the dream often stopped there.”

He is now hoping to continue that dream starting with Monday’s initiative to allow Starbucks customers and employees to give back in honor of MLK Day.

Getting Involved

Participants will have the chance to get involved with projects like developing a mentor mindset with MENTOR, exploring your purpose with City Year, and helping prepare young people for economic success with Junior Achievement. 

Starbucks has also teamed up with Meetup to offer customers more ways to volunteer within their communities if folks wish to go an alternative route. 

Each initiative builds on over 100 service events planned by Starbucks partners across the country to support their respective communities during the MLK Week Of Good.

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