Join us to stop hate, racism, and social injustice

Enough is enough. We need to take action against the undeniable racism that persists in our country. As a community, we must listen, learn, and work together for change and create a better world for us all. In July we took a step against hate, racism, and social injustice and joined the Stop Hate for Profit movement. For one month, along with hundreds of other brands, we paused all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The money that we would’ve spent on advertising was donated to two non-profit organizations selected by our employees; the National Black Food & Justice Alliance and the Conscious Kid.

Here at Lake Champlain Chocolates use business as a force for good. As a certified B Corporation®, we ensure that our company remains a safe and inclusive place to work, free of racism, discrimination, and injustice. We value the rich diversity of our company, greater community, and country, and understand that knowledge, self-awareness, and empathy are the antidotes to prejudice, bigotry, and violence.

The National Black Food & Justice Alliance

Image: National Black Food & Justice Alliance

Good food. It’s who we are and what we do. From sourcing high-quality ingredients from local producers to funding community organizations, like the Intervale Center. We believe that good food can change the world and it all starts with strengthening the quality and integrity of our food systems. We are proud to support the National Black Food & Justice Alliance, a coalition of Black-led organizations working to build sustainable food communities. They highlight the alarming disparities around the availability of land, economical support for farmers, and even access to healthy food that continues to be a struggle within their community. “Considering Black land loss, reduction of Black farming, excessive junk food marketing in black communities coupled with reduced access to healthy food infrastructure in urban and rural black communities that paradoxically exist with hunger and high rates of food-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, we [the black community] are in a critical time and trend right now.” Unfortunately, this historical exploitation and exclusion has led black communities to become disenfranchised from their food system.

The National Black Food & Justice Alliance works with its member organizations to design programs that transform these food systems. Their work with the Black Dirt Farm Collective supports the cultivation Black agrarian education or Afroecology.  Black farmers, educators, scientists, organizers, and researchers work together to not only pay homage to the history of black farming, but to educate their communities about their responsibility to take care of the land and create a healthy environment. It’s through their collaborations that the National Black Food & Justice Alliance works to change the narrative around food for black communities. By transforming people’s relationship to food and land, they are ultimately able to create a stronger, healthier, empowered community that is then able to work towards their collective goals.

The Conscious Kid

Image: The Conscious Kid

Family matters. As a second-generation Vermont company, our employees are family. But, at the same time, many of them are raising the next generation of joy givers, world changers, and chocolate lovers. We are proud to support the Conscious Kid, an organization that works with families and teachers to teach kids about racism, injustice, and equality. Far too many of us never learned how to properly talk about important issues, like racism and social injustice. The Conscious Kid aims to change that by providing the necessary resources for education so that we as a society can start a healthy discussion on race, racism, and resistance with our children at an early age and ultimately reduce the systemic racism that currently divides our country.

The Conscious Kids believes that it’s never too early (or too late) to start talking about racism. “Anti-Black structural racism and socialization need to be countered with intentional action from birth. This includes surrounding children with positive narratives and images of Blackness.” Their extensive collection of books and other resources does just that and it’s clear that it is something that there is a massive demand for. In July, the organization launched an application that allowed educators to request anti-racist children’s books for their school. Within 8 hours they had over 3,000 requests from teachers in all 50 states. Education is a great first step, but it’s not enough. The Conscious Kid also established a rent relief fund to help the lower-income communities of minorities that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-pandemic.

It’s time to listen, learn, and take action. Join us in solidarity, by demanding change. Sign the #stophateforprofit petition or donate to the National Black Food & Justice Alliance or the Conscious Kid, because together, we can be the change we wish to see in the world.