Each month for the foreseeable future, we are collecting donations to send to charitable organizations and causes in the US. For 2020 and onwards, these highlighted organizations are ones that are centered around education and the fight against racism. It is clear that the specialty coffee industry, and society as a whole, has much to address regarding this long-standing issue. And a way to start is to contribute to those groups that are knowledgeable about action and teach those around them to unlearn racism.
For the month of December, we will be collecting for Embrace Race. This will continue until the last day of the month.
The organization’s focus is providing information, resources, and community for parents, educators, and other adults wanting to raise kids who are thoughtful, informed, and brave about race. On their website, they have created an online library of insights and knowledge. ‘EmbraceRace is not only for parents! It's for anyone who has a role in the lives of children or anyone who might have useful information, insight, questions, concerns, or experiences to share with them - about race, for example. In other words, the community is meant for a great many of us!’.
To donate, you can select the amount you wish to contribute as an add-on for your product purchases. Acaia will publicly provide proof of donations when they are sent to the organization.
In their own words:
‘There is a growing body of research and evidence that makes clear that children’s racial sensibilities begin to form in infancy, that almost all children develop racial and other biases by kindergarten, and that those biases become fairly entrenched by adolescence. And yet, most national organizations dedicated to children’s racial learning direct their resources mainly to middle and high school educators. There are too few resources for young children available for parents, grandparents or other caregivers or for early childhood educators.’