Here’s What a More Inclusive Pride Can Look Like

We know that Pride is a time to recognize and celebrate the rich and resilient history of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as amplify the voices of those who have been marginalized for being out and proud in this world. And we also know it’s imperative to recognize that Black LGBTQ+ folks experience magnified forms of discrimination because they belong to more than one marginalized community.

So, for this year’s Pride at Instacart,  our LGBTQ+ employee resource group (Rainbow Carrots) partnered closely with our Black employee resource group (Nightshades) to center programming around queer and trans people of color.

This year also marked the first time that Pride, in its 51-year history, coincided with a global pandemic. But that didn’t stop us from coming together in spirit and in solidarity, alongside and integrated with our Black community members.

Below, here are eight ways we celebrated Pride and stood together for intersectional justice this year.

1. RuPaul made a special (virtual) appearance.

During the month of June, Rainbow Carrots members were able to log in to an exclusive Instacart Masterclass microsite to watch RuPaul’s Masterclass, which focused on presenting your best and most authentic self to the world.

2. We put a spotlight on financial planning.

According to 2018 research from Student Loan Hero, members of the LGBTQ+ community tend to be less prepared for retirement — only 47% of queer folx have a retirement savings vehicle, for instance, compared to 56% of the general population. 

That’s why we invited financial experts Charles Kerl and Alix Magner for a virtual talk on personal finances and how to best plan for the future in a way that protects you and your partner. For the seminar, “Adulting With Your Money: How to Set Yourself Up for the Unexpected,” they spoke to our Rainbow Carrots about a variety of financial challenges the LGBTQ+ community is facing — including budgeting, saving for retirement and student debt — and how to prepare for the future.

3. We had a ball in the kitchen with Juanita Moore.

We partnered with the incomparable philanthropist and drag queen Juanita MORE! to create a special “Rainbow Carrots Hummus” recipe and cooking class just for our Rainbow Carrots community. Feel free to try the recipe out for yourself, below:

4. On Juneteenth, Black and LGBTQ+ mental wellness was our focus.

In a special group meditation, Regina from Wolf Medicine Magic and our own Bhava Jaya (a CARE team manager in our Atlanta office) came together to discuss the benefits of meditation and mindfulness with our LGBTQ+ and Black employees. Regina then led us through a beautiful 15-minute, breath-and-heart-centric meditation.

5. We talked about navigating name changes at the Lesbians Who Tech & Allies’ Pride Summit.

The focus of this year’s Lesbians Who Tech & Allies (Not IRL) Pride Summit shifted to address racism, solidarity and amplifying Black voices within the LGBTQ+ community. A member of our Rainbow Carrots ERG also spoke about their process when it came to rolling out their name-change at work (hint: it looked like a go-to-market plan for a rebrand!).

6. We partnered with multiple orgs that support QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) communities.

These organizations, which serve QTPOC groups in significant or exclusive ways, included: 

• Bridge for Youth 
• Larkin Street Youth 
• People With AIDS Foundation 
• Support for LGBTQ+ Seniors
• SOY Toronto 
• Maven Youth 

7. We sported some Queer-antine swag.

Wear a mask, but make it fashion. These Queerantine Lewks were brought to us by John Salaveria, Product Designer and Rainbow Carrots member.

8. We shouted out some of our amazing QTPOC employees. 

This Pride, it was important for us to recognize and amplify the voices of our QTPOC (especially BIPOC) employees — something that we will continue to do throughout the year.

Instacart

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.