Meet The Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity
Written By Andi Trindle Mersch, VP of Sustainability and Coffee
In honor of Black History Month I am dedicating this month's update to an organization near to my heart. I was inspired to share after a recent conversation with Phyllis Johnson, founder of the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE), and current President of the Board, and someone I admire deeply.??
I knew I wanted to write about the CCRE, “a robust, global community of coffee advocates driven to bring about equity and diversity in the coffee community’, as I am a committed, active inaugural board member. Philz has been generous in supporting my time on this work. It is the best way I can think of to use my platform within Philz to celebrate Black History Month.??
I shared with Phyllis my original plan for this piece--to step back on any personal reflections and to simply tell the story of the newer history of the CCRE, which is of course rooted in much older history. I didn’t want to take any personal space.??
Phyllis let me know firmly, though kindly, that she would be very disappointed in me if she read a version that shared nothing about my journey to the work.? Disappointing Phyllis and all of the dedicated CCRE board members and stakeholders is something I never want to do.
So, instead of not personalizing why I am talking about the CCRE for Black History Month, I will share my “why”.
I have known Phyllis casually over many years in the specialty coffee industry where our paths crossed, mostly around promoting women in coffee. When Phyllis wrote a powerful letter to the coffee industry challenging us to do better for Black people in coffee, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and other acts of police brutality, I was one of many who reached out.?
I highly encourage you to read her powerful, succinct letter: Open Letter to the US Coffee Industry On Racism and I encourage you to read all of the incredible progress Phyllis has led with the CCRE since then (start here: celebrating black history month).
I reached out after Phyllis’ open letter because I was well aware that Black people had been woefully underrepresented in one of the most amazing industries to work in: specialty coffee.? I was married/partnered with a Black man for 13 years during the time I was forming my now 28+ year career in coffee. I witnessed him suffer an act of police brutality.? This was a painful experience that has, over time, become an enraging memory. Because of this, perhaps the lack of Black representation occurred to me more than other non-BIPOC people in coffee or maybe it didn’t. Either way, I did observe it, but I never did anything about it.? Honestly, it didn’t occur to me that I could do anything about it or more shamefully that I should.
When Phyllis’ letter reached my desk, I understood that I could and absolutely should do something.? I reached out to Phyllis because I needed to do something. It is my responsibility to do something.? Phyllis kindly invited me into an incredible opportunity when she formed the CCRE.
I joined the inaugural board of directors for CCRE and, since then, I have served on the finance committee and led the Governance task force.? I am newly stepping into the Chair of the Finance Committee role.? These are not exciting or face forward ways to support the work, but they are integral and they require a generosity of time from both Philz and my family.?
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I am grateful I have had an opportunity to actively do something.? My celebration of Black History Month ultimately is to echo Phyllis’ call to action. I invite everyone not yet actively doing something to combat racism to start.?
As Phyllis told me in no uncertain terms, racial equity can not be accomplished by Black individuals alone or by any one group alone.? It is a collective effort. We all come to the work for our own reasons and we ALL--everyone, everywhere--need to come to the work.?
Below are various links to the CCRE website to get you started:
CCRE blogs and articles that the Philz Coffee DEIB Committee recommends:
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