Greensboro, N.C. is not only home to Kontoor’s global headquarters, but it’s also home to the International Civil Rights Museum. The museum is located at the site of the first sit-in in the U.S., where four black college students sat down at a whites only lunch counter to stage a non-violent protest against segregation. Kontoor’s Diversity Networking Association (DNA) ERG, along with members of our Executive Leadership Team, hosted tours of this important institution for employees.
Voting is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Yet, we recognize that there are many barriers to casting a ballot, particularly for minority voters. Our DNA and KNEW ERGs partnered to offer informational sessions to ensure our employees are registered and know where and how to vote. In addition, Kontoor has joined the Time to Vote movement, a non-partisan, business-led initiative designed to demonstrate the importance of voter participation and to increase voter turnout in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election.
Throughout the year, Kontoor also provides monetary support to organizations that are aligned with our Inclusion & Diversity ambitions. Recent donation recipients include:
- NAACP
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
- Black Investment Fund
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Boys & Girls Club of Greensboro
Kontoor Brands recently sponsored The 8:46 Series webinar, a community initiative hosted by the NCCJ of the Piedmont Triad and the YMCA of Greensboro to introduce community members to the issue of systemic racism and how it impacts our entire society. The webinar series examined narratives around racial disproportionality and discussed compelling research data around the systemic nature of racism and the fallacy of typical explanations like poverty, education, social class, individual behavior or cultural attributes that often get associated with particular racial groups.