Snack Chat

Frito-Lay Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. with Guest John Legend

Every year since 1991, we’ve hosted an event to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at Frito-Lay headquarters in Plano, Texas. To the events, we invite a prominent civil rights leader and/or influential member of society to share his or her insights on diversity and inclusion with our employees. This year marked our 20th annual celebration, and we were happy to welcome six-time Grammy Award-winning singer John Legend, who gave a speech and performed.

Last year, I blogged about Frito-Lay's 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and shared my experiences working as a young copyboy at Detroit Free Press in the summer of 1967 during the Detroit riots -- my "awakening" to the impact of racial prejudice on our society.

This awakening was a deeply moving experience, but as I've gotten older, those memories and feelings have started to slip away.  As I prepared to blog about this year's annual MLK activities at Frito-Lay, our 20th anniversary celebration, I went back and reread Dr. King’s 1963 "Letter from Birmingham City Jail."  I highly recommend reading it.  It's a short but poignant letter that ends with:

"Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, that the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all of their scintillating beauty."

The theme of Frito-Lay’s MLK Celebration this year was "Building Bridges from the Legacy to the Future." Our Black Professionals Association (BPA) employee network brought this to life by recognizing the progress that has been made since Dr. King was jailed in Birmingham, while acknowledging there is still much to be done.  "John Legend shared a powerful message with employees and with the students from A. Maceo Smith High School in Dallas, whose jazz band and choir performed at the celebration," Rachel Thomas (pictured right), Group Manager, Strategic Sourcing & Material Supply and BPA member who chaired this year’s event, told me.

Of course, John Legend sang, but he also spoke for 20 minutes, translating Dr. King's messages into language that today's students as well as our employees could identify with.  “He said that it was important to grow ourselves as individuals, but it was also important to give back to the community,” Rachel said. “He told a story about a high school teacher who believed in him and how that support gave him the confidence to go to college.  He encouraged the students to take advantage of any help their teachers offer because everyone who’s gotten where they are today had help.” 

While the annual MLK celebration is the most visible program the BPA sponsors, the employee network also hosts other activities that reinforce Frito-Lay's commitment to diversity and inclusion.  Each year, the group sponsors a Thanksgiving food drive to support disadvantaged families, provides input for new product development targeting urban communities, supports product wellness initiatives and leads professional development programs.

During the 30 years I worked at Frito-Lay, I watched the company develop a formal diversity and inclusion program.  Since the BPA organized 20 years ago, I’ve seen the company place increased emphasis on creating action plans to attract, develop and retain top talent, and of course, I’ve seen our entire country make tremendous progress since my days in Detroit in 1967. I could appreciate how far we've come -– as a society and at Frito-Lay/PepsiCo -- when Rachel told me about this year's MLK celebration and the great progress the BPA has made.  I think Dr. King would approve.

Frito-Lay & The NFL Name the "Most Fanatical Family"

Today, Frito-Lay and the NFL announced that Dru McCoy and the Barnes Family – longtime Indianapolis Colts fans from Marion, Ind. – are the winners in the search for the NFL’s “most fanatical family” and will receive a VIP trip to Super Bowl XLIV. Dru and Barnes family were named the NFL’s “most fanatical family” after fans around the country cast nearly 400,000 votes in the contest.

Congratulations to Dru and the McCoys!

Read the full press release.

Tostitos 'Salute the Troops' Bowl in Iraq: An Insider's Perspective

Last week, Aurora Gonzalez (pictured at left), Director of Public Relations at Frito-Lay, traveled with the Tostitos brand team, members of the USO and a group of former college football players and professional football coaches to Baghdad, Iraq, to help host the first-ever "Salute the Troops" Bowl, sponsored by Frito-Lay and the USO. Today on Snack Chat, Aurora offers a personalized peek into the events and activities she experienced -- from meeting soldiers currently stationed in the Persian Gulf to staying in a hotel that was a former palace owned by Saddam Hussein's family to sharing in the soldiers' excitement as they took the field with former all-star football players. In addition, throughout Aurora's recaps, we're sharing a video and a few pictures that she captured during the week of events. Enjoy!

During halftime at the Fiesta Bowl, you saw a brief highlight of the Tostitos "Salute the Troops" Bowl played in Baghdad, Iraq. I was fortunate enough to spend the week with the coaches, the players, and more importantly, our troops.

We all came away proud and humbled by the incredible men and women in the military.  Words cannot capture my experience.  Every day I sent family and friends my impressions of the day’s activities. Below are some excerpts that I hope vividly and honestly convey some of the incredible moments I had during this trip.

Day 1: December 29, Kuwait City (Base Visits)

So, the plan was for the players to meet-and-greet with soldiers at three different bases.  I’ll confess I was nervous about going to the bases. I had no idea what to expect. The mind imagines and it’s hard to not think about everything we see every day from pop culture and mainstream media. Key objective for the day was to not cry. What I would cry about unclear . . . the place, the work these soldiers are doing, the problems we read about, potentially injured soldiers. All seemed ample stimuli.

At the first base, as with all of them, the players and coaches sit at tables and the soldiers pass through taking pictures with them, getting autographs, etc. The ages of the troops vary. The 19+ year olds aren’t familiar with many of the players since they are older, but the soldiers seem happy of a reminder of home (is there anything more American than college football??) and perhaps feel reassured or steeled that people are thinking of them and want to see them, support them.
 
Then there are the fans . . . we heard "Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuce" (for Bruce Smith) more than once. Fist bumps, hugs, high fives and even a little trash talking -- the best! They had pictures of great plays they wanted signed. A couple kids had their Oklahoma University banners to be signed by the five guys associated with the school. It was awesome to see the fun they were having with the players in that moment.
 
A long day but fascinating and honestly fun.  Someone asked if it was intense; it wasn’t. But it certainly has left an indelible impression on my mind. I met my key objective (no crying, in case you forgot) . . . Let’s hope that these soldiers meet the most important objective -- getting home safe.

Click here to read Aurora's highlights (and view video/pictures) from Days 2 - 5 of her trip to the Persian Gulf for the Tostitos "Salute the Troops" Bowl.

Video Highlights of the Tostitos 'Salute the Troops' Bowl in the Persian Gulf

As we mentioned yesterday on Snack Chat, on New Year's Day, several former professional football coaches and former college football players joined soldiers currently serving in Iraq for the first-ever Tostitos "Salute the Troops" Bowl -- a game that put teams of former college football all-stars and active military heroes in a head-to-head flag football game. It was a one-of-a-kind college football experience for service members serving in the Persian Gulf. 

Below is the video highlights segment that aired during the Fiesta Bowl halftime show last night.  This was truly a great event for Frito-Lay, our Tostitos brand, the USO, the coaches and players and our dedicated soldiers to be part of.

Don't Miss the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Halftime Show Tonight!

To celebrate our 15th year as the title sponsor of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Frito-Lay, with the USO, will honor active military soldiers currently serving overseas during the game's halftime show.

On New Year's Day, several former professional football coaches and former college football players joined soldiers currently serving in Iraq for the first-ever Tostitos "Salute the Troops" Bowl -- a game that put teams of former college football all-stars and active military heroes in a head-to-head flag football game. It was a one-of-a-kind college football experience for service members serving in the Persian Gulf. 

During the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl halftime broadcast on FOX, Tostitos will share video highlights from the game and present the USO with a financial donation.

So, tune-in to FOX tonight for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, and make sure to stay in front of your TV during halftime to see the exciting recap of the "Salute the Troops" Bowl!

Pictured below: Team Freedom (in white) and Team Liberty (in blue) face off on the field during the first-ever Tostitos/USO “Salute the Troops” Bowl, where legendary college football players teamed up with troops in Baghdad, Iraq, on Janu. 1, 2010.  Team Freedom, led by coach Barry Switzer, beat Team Liberty, which was led by coach Tommy Bowden. (USO Photo by Fred Greaves.)

Check out more pictures from the "Salute the Troops" Bowl.