The social unrest we have seen across the country this year following the tragic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor has served as a stark reminder that there is more that can and must be done to oppose racism, hatred, and injustice in all its forms.

We believe we are at our best as brands and as individuals when we are living up to the power of unity.

While we are extremely proud of our inclusive and collaborative team members and the work of our employee resource groups (ERGs) to build diverse networks, increase cultural awareness, and provide resources for career development, we understand the work doesn’t stop there.

Putting Words Into Action

A few of the many actions we’ve taken in 2020 include:

• Stephanie Lilak, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, created a cross-functional leadership team to discuss both short-term and long-term opportunities to strengthen our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives.
   
• Juneteenth (June 19) became a day of reflection where corporate team members were encouraged to facilitate self-education, self-care, and reflect on the significance of the day.
   
• We leaned into our brands’ longstanding relationship with the NAACP to further support its ongoing efforts and proudly contributed as a sponsor of its 2020 National Convention.
   
• Dunkin' created an online pop-up store to sell Dunkin' branded face masks, donating $3 from every mask sold to the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation, whose mission aids children in underserved communities.

Educate, Create Awareness, and Reflect

On June 15, our corporate team members were given the day off to facilitate self-education, self-care, and reflect on recent events.

This date wasn't a coincidence. It was intentionally chosen to coincide with Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.

To aid in our reflection, corporate team members were also given a comprehensive list of resources, including articles to read, listen, and watch, along with ways to join in the conversation online.

We also launched a Community Speaker Series for our team members that included guest speakers such as attorney Michael Curry, a member of the NAACP's National Board of Directors, and noted author and speaker Monica Cost.

Listen and Encourage Difficult Conversations

Educating our team members and taking action certainly helps ensure progress is being made in Diversity & Inclusion, but those actions alone are not sufficient.

It's also important to listen and encourage difficult conversations.

It was essential to continue promoting and leveraging our ERGs to foster engagement, inclusivity, and connections among team members

On a Journey to Build Unity

While we are proud of the meaningful progress we have made in our D&I efforts this year, we understand the work doesn’t stop here, as we are on an ongoing journey to create places of hope and unity for our team members, franchisees, guests, and communities.

We believe in doing work that matters, acting with kindness in everything we do, and knowing that we’re strongest together.