Beloved Community, the racial and economic equity focused nonprofit, in partnership with the Made in New Orleans Foundation (MiNO), an organization that leads the world in growing, supporting, and financing the success of BIPOC in the hospitality industry, announced the inaugural class of Beloved Community’s Equity at Work: Hospitality. Funding is being provided by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Equity at Work: Hospitality is a first of its kind cohort-based program designed to guide restaurant, hotel, and other hospitality leaders to support a hospitality industry in New Orleans that works for all people, especially BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) who have been historically and systematically marginalized across industries, in this country. Many of the cohort participants have engaged in previous workshops and conversations in the industry via MiNO, the New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network and the Racial Equity Institute and were excited to take the next step towards creating policies and practices that forward equity.
“We’re inspired by the work that MiNO is leading in the New Orleans hospitality industry and are excited to see the positive change that can occur in a region when industry leaders deepen their commitments to racial and economic equity,” said Beloved Community Founder and CEO, Rhonda Broussard.
During this two-year program participating businesses will have the opportunity to conduct Beloved’s Equity Audit. The audit will examine areas of governance and leadership, supplier diversity, resources and finance, pedagogies, and curriculum, along with talent and adult culture. In addition to the equity audit, the program scope includes workplace training, consultation appointments, development of a three-year equity work plan, and access to a supportive community of likeminded business leaders committed to equity.
“We have been actively discussing and planning for an Equity at Work Hospitality cohort since 2019 and the events of the past year made it even more clear that this scope of work is crucial for this industry to be able to rebuild in a more racially and economically equitable way,” said Beloved Community Director of Education & Programming, Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston. Dr. Ralston will be serving alongside Kevin Lewis as project manager and consultant for the participating businesses.
Another benefit that Beloved Community and MiNo are offering is drop-in lunch and learn sessions beginning in October that will be open to any hospitality business in New Orleans, even those who are not participating in the full cohort experience. These one-hour sessions will focus on how to center racial equity & inclusion in your business practices.
The 23 New Orleans restaurants and hospitality organizations participating in the inaugural class include:
Addis
Bacchanal Wine and The Elysian Bar
Blue Giant
Commander’s Palace
Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Delgado
Faubourg Brewery
Galaxie
Gracious Bakery
Habana Outpost New Orleans
Happy Raptor Distilling
Hotel Peter & Paul
Hotel Saint Vincent
LeBLANC+SMITH
Link Restaurant Group
Marjie’s Grill and Seafood Sally’s
Mister Mao
NOCHI
Paladar 511
Palm&Pine
Pizza Delicious
QED Hospitality
Reginelli’s Pizzeria
Windsor Court Hotel
Cafe Reconcile
“We are excited to be partnering with the equity experts of Beloved Community to address the deep-seated issues of racial inequality in the hospitality industry. The businesses that applied and were selected to join the inaugural class have taken an important step as a cohort to creating equitable work environments where all employees thrive,” said Lauren Darnell, Executive Director of Made in New Orleans.
About Beloved Community
Beloved Community, headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a non-profit consulting firm focused on implementing sustainable solutions for racial and economic equity. Through individualized and personalized support, Beloved Community fosters open lines of communication and realistic plans to create and implement tangible, measurable systemic change at work, at home, and in schools. Our approach is universal, achieving results for organizations in the not-for-profit sector, hospitality, school administrations, affordable housing and beyond.
