Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and allyship.
Our work helps women and gender expansive people, immigrants, and people of color thrive as workers and entrepreneurs within the food ecosystem, and is helping to make the system itself more conscious and equitable for all. After 15 years of dialogue with our program members and external partners, we are inspired to have complex conversations to make change and build healthier, inclusive workplaces.
Hot Bread Kitchen is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and allyship (DEIA) because we believe this commitment will:
- create an organizational community where all feel respected, supported, and valued;
- foster deeper relationships that drive opportunity, innovation, and impact for the communities we serve;
- set an industry standard that prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusivity, and allyship
About the Committee
In 2019, Hot Bread Kitchen established the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Allyship (DEIA) committee with the purpose of designing and overseeing the organization’s best practices for diversity, equity, inclusion, and allyship. The DEIA committee is composed of staff from across our organization. We will develop guidelines and practices to promote and grow diversity, equity, inclusion, and allyship among our staff, board, stakeholders, partners, clients and community.
Activities
- Staff education through guided activities and reflection, resource sharing, and space for conversation and open discussion about our experiences.
- Serving as an internal resource to ensure external and internal activities are aligned with our DEIA values.
- Examining and recommending improvements to organizational practices (recruiting, hiring, onboarding, development, events, staff and board composition, and external partnerships).
- Promoting and engaging DEIA thought leadership through events, public posts, and speaking engagements.
Our Values
Commitment
We are driven by a feeling of commitment to support our members, teammates, and partners as best as we can.
Equity
Our culture of equity comes from the many cooks in our kitchen and the diversity of perspectives we each bring.
Respect
We believe that respect goes a long way in making people feel welcome, accepted, and celebrated.
Connection
We seek out opportunities for connection and become a stronger team by being in community, prioritizing candor over consensus.
Entrepreneurialism
The pace of our work and velocity of change can be quick; our entrepreneurialism helps us take optimistic risks and pursue inventive solutions.
Hot Bread Kitchen Members Discuss Queer Identity In The Culinary Industry
A group of LGBTQ+ Hot Bread Kitchen members reflect on their individual experiences being queer in their personal and professional lives.
Asian-American Solidarity Statement
Authored by the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Allyship Committee On the heels of the one-year anniversary of the...
Hot Bread Kitchen Equity & Inclusion Conversations in 2020
Hot Bread Kitchen's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Allyship Committee's work to create community and conversation in 2020.
Statement of Solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement
Hot Bread Kitchen stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for ongoing racial justice in our city...
Definition of terms
Diversity: We consider diversity through an intersectional lens, including but not limited to gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, age, educational attainment, and socio-economic background. Only when we bring our diversity to the table, and make space for real dialogue, can we create an equitable food service industry and create better workplaces for women, immigrants, and people of color.
Equity: In New York and in the food industry we see a rich diversity of backgrounds—but when we look to leadership roles where power is consolidated, we are left with a remarkably monolithic group. Historically, many people were institutionally prohibited from rising beyond entry-level and owning their own businesses. Today, people continue to be systematically excluded from managerial and top-level roles because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, culture, and economic background. We believe that achieving equity requires a shift in power so that all can achieve financial security, stability, and mobility.
Inclusion: Inclusion is characterized by an ongoing and open dialogue and the intention to ensure different abilities, values, principles, viewpoints, and cultures are represented and equally valued in a community or workplace. Inclusion fosters a sense of belonging, ensuring—and assuring—all people are heard.
Allyship: Allyship is not just a state of mind, but an active proposition to reorganize outdated systems that maintain the status quo, reinforcing and perpetuating institutionalized inequality. We seek to productively engage with communities outside of our own in order to support underrepresented groups and avoid participating in a charity model of allyship.
Hot Bread Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants based on race, religion, color, disability, medical condition, legally protected genetic information, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), age, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics.
