PepsiCo joins the fight against racism

PepsiCo Inc. (Nasdaq: PEP) and RISE have teamed up to promote equality and inclusion, combat racism and use the unifying power of sport to create lasting change. RISE is a US non-profit organization that educates and empowers the sports community to eradicate racial discrimination, improve racial relations, and advocate social justice. This RISE collaboration is the first of its kind for Pepsi Beverages and aims to promote experiential learning opportunities for RISE program participants nationwide, which includes athletes, coaches and fans at various sports levels. In addition, by participating in the multi-week RISE leadership programs, Pepsi will enable and train its employees and business partners to improve cultural competence. Justin Toman, director of sports marketing at Pepsi Beverages, said they are excited to join RISE to fight racism and create meaningful change by harnessing the unifying power of sport. He said Pepsi is excited to work with its partners in the NBA, NHL and NFL to create impactful programs that deliver the company's shared vision of promoting understanding and equality. Diahann Billings-Burford, CEO of RISE, said that Pepsi has not only taken note of, but is also taking action to combat racism and create an inclusive country by partnering with RISE. She said that sport has the power to bring people of different backgrounds and beliefs together, thus triggering the actions necessary to improve racial equality in the country. Most importantly, RISE programs promote understanding of racial equality. They also create cultural literacy and equip participants with the necessary tools to address issues of racial discrimination, inclusion and diversity. Likewise, the Champions of Change experiences engage some fans at top sporting events like the Final Four and the Super Bowl. The program educates, motivates and provokes the empathy of the fans in order to become active and fight racism. Working together is part of Pepsi's journey to combat racial discrimination. That includes the company investing over $ 845 million in Hispanic and black communities over the next five years.