PepsiCo Beverages Partners With RISE to Empower Sports Fans, Athletes and Leaders in Industry to Fight Racism

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo Beverages has partnered with RISE to harness the unifying power of sports to combat racism, advance equity and inclusion and inspire enduring change. RISE is a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations.

Pepsi's partnership with RISE is the first of its kind and its support will help ensure experiential learning opportunities for RISE program participants around the country, including fans, athletes and coaches across multiple levels of sport. Additionally, Pepsi will help to educate and empower its business partners and employees through engagement with RISE multi-week leadership sessions, which are designed to build cultural competency.

"Pepsi is proud to join RISE to combat racism and engender meaningful change through the power of sports," said Justin Toman, who leads PepsiCo Beverages Sports Marketing. "We're excited to join our partners in the NFL, NBA and NHL to work collectively to bring impactful programs to life that deliver on our shared mission of advancing equality and understanding." 

"Pepsi is not only taking notice, but they are taking action to eliminate racism and create a more inclusive country through their partnership with RISE," said RISE CEO Diahann Billings-Burford. "Sports have the power to unite people of different backgrounds and beliefs and can spark the action that's needed to improve racial equity in our country."

RISE programs increase an understanding of racial equity and build cultural competence, equipping participants with the tools to be leaders in addressing matters of racism, prejudice, diversity and inclusion. Additionally, RISE's multi-sensory Champions of Change experience engages tens of thousands of fans at major sporting events throughout the country, including the Super Bowl and Final Four, and is designed to educate, provoke empathy and motivate fans to take action in the fight against racism.

The partnership with RISE is another step in PepsiCo's racial equality journey, which includes a company investment of more than $845 million over the next five years dedicated to Black and Hispanic communities. These commitments comprise a holistic effort for PepsiCo to help address the need for systemic change with speed and purpose.

About RISE

RISE is a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations. Through partnerships and programs, RISE inspires leaders in sports to create positive change on matters of race and equality. RISE programs build skills and create safe spaces to have difficult conversations. RISE equips students, athletes, coaches and administrators with the tools to be culturally competent, effective advocates for racial equity and leaders in addressing racism, prejudice, diversity and inclusion.  RISE's vision is to create a nation unified through sports committed to racial equity and social justice. Visit risetowin.org 

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $67 billion in net revenue in 2019, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business.  For more information, visit www.pepsico.com