Rise Above Coffee is proud to be the LGBTQ+ Coffee that gives back, and each month, we feature a non-profit doing exceptional work in the LGBTQ+ community. This January, we’re shining a spotlight on ONE Community.
ONE Community is proud to be the voice of the LGBTQ inclusive community in Arizona. It is a statewide coalition of socially responsible businesses, organizations and individuals who are committed to moving diversity, equity, inclusion, and equality forward.
How ONE Community Became a Movement
In 2013, ONE Community created the Unity Pledge. It was a joint effort by Arizona businesses, organizations, faith leaders and individuals to advance workplace equality and equal treatment in housing and public accommodations for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender individuals and their allies.
In 2014, a bill passed the Arizona state legislature allowing businesses to refuse service to customers based on religious grounds. This was widely seen as targeting people in the LGBTQ community.
ONE Community found themselves in a unique position to speak out against the passage of this discriminatory bill. They created an inclusive sign that read, “OPEN for Business to Everyone!” The sign was posted in the spaces of more than 3,500 Unity Pledge members, sharing the message that discrimination is bad for business. The sign also went viral online, and it was shared 100,000 times in just a few days. This campaign helped convince Arizona’s Republican governor to veto the bill.
The ONE Community Institute
Working with members of the Arizona business community, ONE Community offers customized empathy building, workshops, and assessment tools to effect meaningful, innovative, and inclusive change within organizations. ONE Community believes in going beyond the letter of the law and developing organizational cultures that are truly competent in diversity, equity, and inclusion. This allows businesses and other organizations to recruit and retain top talent and stay competitive.
The ONE Community Institute offers comprehensive workshops and certification programs to help Arizona businesses achieve these goals. They offer modules designed for leaders and employees at all levels, allowing the team to work together to create change from within.
ONE Community Foundation
Despite what most people believe, sexual orientation and gender identity/expression are not protected under Arizona’s non-discrimination laws. ONE Community wants to help change that. The ONE Community Foundation works to educate the general public, business leaders, faith leaders and elected officials that these protections don’t currently exist, and why it’s so important to update state policies that affect LGBTQ individuals. They work to ensure better understanding of nondiscrimination and the importance of being LGBTQ inclusive. The foundation also offers tuition assistance to LGBTQ and allied high-potential leaders to participate in leadership training.
Building Bridges Toward True Equality
Through their innovative educational and advocacy programs, ONE Community has built a strong foundation for change. According to the ONE Community website,
“Each year brings new victories and new challenges on the path to true equality for all Arizonans. We continue to build the bridges and partnerships that will get us there, and we promise we will not rest until we reach the goal of creating an Arizona that truly celebrates, respects, and protects us all.”
Coffee for a Cause
In support of ONE Community, January’s #coffeeforacause is Inspiration, our medium-dark roast blend of beans from Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. When you buy Inspiration coffee during the month of January, a portion of the proceeds will be donated directly to ONE Community!
To learn more about ONE Community, find out how you can get involved, or donate directly to the cause, visit their website and make sure to follow them on social media!