In observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, The Container Store honors the cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Celebrated from September 15 to October 15, Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of the Latin American nations of Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Throughout the observance, our Mosaic Employee Resource Group will be hosting a series of events and experiences that pay tribute to Hispanic heritage. Our plans include an educational keynote event featuring a panel of internal and external senior leaders, a weekend of service and space transformation for a community partner, and spotlights throughout the month in our company newsletter featuring Hispanic American employees and Brand Ambassadors.
Companywide Events
On September 21 we are holding a panel for our employees entitled "What's Missing from the Story." This conversation will educate and pay tribute to Hispanic heritage while offering a space for self-reflection to challenge our own biases. Moderated by Jamie Moeller, District Director and the Hispanic Heritage sub-committee chair of our Mosaic Employee Resource Group, our esteemed panelists include Felipe Avila (The Container Store's VP of Marketing), Cristina Lopez (VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at VillageMD), and Margie Agular (Founder & President of ISP Creative).
In addition, we're inviting our employees to participate in our Hispanic Heritage Month Weekend of Service. We are asking everyone to commit to volunteering for two hours between September 23-24 to help us reach our companywide 10,000-hour service impact goal!
In Our Stores
Customers will find signage throughout our stores and at the registers detailing how we're commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month this year and how they can be involved.
To inspire engagement and excitement amongst our employees, our Mosaic Employee Resource Group has assembled Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration kits that include fun accessories such as corded bracelets, Mexican candy, programming information, and the DEI blog post for the month. (In addition, our in-store music will feature a culturally relevant and upbeat playlist highlighting Hispanic artists!)
In Our Communities
As part of our commitment to give back to causes that are important to our employees and customers, we've partnered again with Paul Quinn College, a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution and the nation's first urban work college, to transform parts of the campus through the power of organization. Driven by our Mosaic Employee Resource Group and Business Solutions team, we've worked with the college to identify its needs and install an organization system that will support its expansion and campus improvement efforts.
We also encourage everyone to support local Hispanic-owned businesses. Once such small business belongs to Jeanette Colley, a Southern California-based professional organizer and one of our terrific Brand Ambassadors. "As a Latina small business owner, I feel that supporting small businesses (and especially diverse-owned small businesses) is so important as it inspires our communities to dream bigger," she says. "I often find that in a group of other small business owners I am either the only woman or the only Hispanic or both. In my partnership with The Container Store, I get to represent my community, and I hope that it inspires others to want to do the same. Small businesses play a very important role in their communities and the support of their communities is crucial to keeping their doors open. When we feel that we are needed in our communities, we tend to be more involved and that continues to spread and make a big impact. When you support small business, you can truly change lives!"
Photo courtesy of Jeanette Colley
Please join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at The Container Store!
