At DoorDash, we are intentional in our efforts to create a workplace that engages people of all backgrounds while fostering an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play a vital role in building, shaping, and driving the culture they want to experience.
This February, in collaboration with our Black@ Employee Resource Group, we continue to acknowledge and reflect on the significance of Black history while embracing and embodying this year’s theme of Black Resistance.
"I connect with the theme of Black Resistance by my mere existence. I’ve traced my family back to 1775, living as enslaved people in Georgia. Generations had to resist so much just for me to exist! Beyond that, I’m existing as a Black woman with multiple STEM degrees working in tech. If that’s not Black Resistance, I don’t know what is."
- L. Patrice Bell, Manager, Strategic Initiatives at DoorDash and Black@ lead
We’re kicking off Black History Month with an exploration of how Black professionals face, navigate, and overcome careers in resistant spaces through a Black Resistance Within Tech panel discussion, including Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, our Chief Marketing Officer; Kaetlin Andrews, our Senior Manager, Regional Partner Strategy; DeVaris Brown, Founder and CEO of Meroxa Data; and Courtnee Futch, Director of Brand Marketing & Partnerships at EatOkra.
Inclusive programming includes a Radical Care Workshop with Heal Haus designed to discuss how stress shows up in the workplace and how we can support one another, a special fireside chat with actors/authors Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Larry Fields III, a coordinated meetup in local office hubs for a Black@ WeDash, a virtual Black History Tour exploring the art, history, and soul of Washington, D.C., and we will wrap up our celebration with a virtual block party featuring a live DJ and appearances from artists and comedians.
Throughout the year, DoorDash works to empower communities of color through our work to broaden food access, our Accelerator for Local Restaurants and Accelerator for Local Goods, and our Dasher financial empowerment work. Since launching in 2018, almost 80 percent of deliveries powered by Project DASH have gone to communities of color. Our partnership with the National Urban League — the country’s largest and oldest civil rights organization, has also helped over 10,000 Dashers earn, save, and invest through financial empowerment curriculum on GoalUp.org, and supported local communities and Urban League affiliates across the country. Merchants across the U.S. have been able to grow their businesses through the grants and training provided via our merchant empowerment work with 87 percent of restaurant owners participating in the Accelerator For Local Restaurants cohorts identifying as people of color and 40 percent of Accelerator for Local Goods participants identifying as Black or African American.
We will continue to prioritize investing in and advancing opportunities for historically underrepresented people. Our success as a company is firmly rooted in our inclusive culture and in advancing diversity throughout DoorDash to ensure we reflect the global audiences we serve, with learning and development opportunities available to corporate team members covering topics such as how to support allyship, how to speak up against racism at work, and more.
Our efforts to create a workplace where everyone feels welcomed, supported, and valued is one of the reasons we were recently recognized as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces 2023 by Newsweek. To learn more about this award and how we’ve driven the culture our employees experience over the last year, click here.
