Marketing

Pizza Hut launching classroom antiracism resources

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August 19, 2020

Pizza Hut and First Book — a nonprofit providing educational resources and essentials to educators serving children in need — are launching the "Empowering Educators" collection to help teachers talk with students about race and racism, a news release said. The initiative was in response to First Book's 2019 survey that revealed that although 66% of educators said they wanted to talk about race with students, they didn't feel adequately equipped.

"From the neighborhood to the national level, America is on a critical journey: from identifying racism to deeper understanding — and finally to dismantling systemic racism," Kyle Zimmer, president, CEO and co-founder of First Book , said in the release. "To support this journey, First Book is honored to partner with Pizza Hut to launch an unprecedented effort to empower educators — and the children they serve. These resources, and the important conversations they enable, will inspire and enlighten all of us as we work together with our educators to elevate equal opportunities for all of our children."

The collection includes a guidebook, video and additional materials that are still to come — designed for K-12 teachers — including activities and discussions around related issues. The guidebook and video series are free at www.firstbook.org/EmpoweringEducators.

The unveiling of this year-long project came this week when Pizza Hut announced the appointment of Chief Equity Officer Chequan Lewis, who will work to promote equity and inclusion within the company.

"Pizza Hut is introducing a new chapter in our long-standing commitment to literacy — focused on the intersection of equity and education," Lewis said in the news release. "When we launched BOOK IT! 36 years ago, we set out to equip educators with relevant resources that would inspire their students. Pizza Hut is continuing this legacy today, but we're taking it a step further — providing resources that help us chase equity by celebrating diversity, teaching empathy, and creating a safe space for everyone to learn while feeling comfortable as their authentic selves."

As a companion to the collection, Pizza Hut and First Book selected five of the most popular diverse titles on the First Book Marketplace and re-issued them in paperback editions. The companies will distribute 75,000 copies of these titles, like "Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story" and "Bilal Cooks Daal."