Queerantine-ing with our Rainbow Carrots: Pride 2020

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. As such, it is imperative to recognize that Black LGBTQ+ folks experience magnified forms of discrimination because they belong to more than one marginalized community.

So for this Pride (and for every Pride hereafter), our Rainbow Carrots ERG partnered closely with our Black ERG (Nightshades) to center queer and trans people of color.

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

Here are some highlights from the month:

Cooking Class with Juanita MORE!

We partnered with the incomparable philanthropist and drag queen Juanita MORE! to create a special recipe and cooking class just for our Rainbow Carrots community!

Feel free to try the recipe out for yourself, below:

RuPaul Masterclass “Self-Expression and Authenticity”

In the month of June, our Rainbow Carrots members were able to log in to a Instacart-specific Masterclass microsite to watch this special course by RuPaul, which focused on presenting your best self to the world.

Adulting with your Money: How to Set Yourself Up for the Unexpected

We invited financial experts Charles Kerl and Alix Magner for a virtual talk on personal finance 101 and how to best plan for the future to protect yourself and your partner. Charles and Alix spoke to our Rainbow Carrots about a variety of financial challenges the LGBTQ+ community is facing right now — including budgeting, saving for retirement, and student debt — and how to prepare for the future.

Juneteenth Meditation with Regina and Bhava Jaya

In this meditation, Regina from Wolf Medicine Magic and our own Bhava Jaya (a CARE team manager in our ATL 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.

Lesbians Who Tech & Allies (Not IRL) Pride Summit

The focus of the (Not IRL) Pride Summit has shifted to address racism, solidarity, and amplifying Black voices within the LGBTQ+ community. Our own Rian Finnegan, a Sr Manager on the Comms team, 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!).

DONATION PARTNERS

Additionally, we partnered with a number of non-profit organizations that served the QTPOC population (in either significant or exclusive ways).

• Bridge for Youth (MN)
• Larkin Street Youth (SF)
• People With AIDS Foundation (TO)
• Support for LGBTQ+ Seniors (CHI)
• SOY Toronto (TO)
• Maven Youth (National)

SWAG

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

EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

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.

We hope you all had a connective, restorative, and revolutionary Pride. :) Follow Instacart on LinkedIn to keep up to date on any LGBTQ+ related events throughout the year!

Warmly,

The Instacart Rainbow Carrots