U.S. (2020)
In honor of Juneteenth in 2020, we donated 100% of net proceeds from our website that day to a fund that will support Black-owned bookstores. We are partnering with Bookshop.org, an online retailer, to manage the fund for these bookstores. The process will parallel Bookshop.org’s existing program for sharing profits with independent bookstores. In addition to the Juneteenth donation, we made three additional contributions in June, July, and August, with disbursement to bookstores expected to begin in September.
Our contributions were split equally among all participating bookstores, and can be used to support any activity that promotes books and reading in the local community, such as school programming, author event technology costs, and basic monthly operating costs.
This program supports Black-owned independent bookstores with brick-and-mortar storefronts that are open or have a history of their storefront being open to the public for 20 hours a week or more, in a U.S. location. To find out more about how to participate, please email partnerships@bookshop.org.
U.S. (2020)
As part of our long-term Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Action plan, we introduced our first-ever company-wide read, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, and will facilitate discussions across our company on this important topic. Employees are encouraged to share their ideas and perspectives openly with one another, fostering learning, understanding, and belonging.
CANADA (2020)
In response to protests against anti-Black racism following the murder of George Floyd, we looked inward to identify what part we play in the problem and, potentially, in the efforts to solve it. As publishers, we are dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black authors, but we know we need to do more to support the efforts for change they and other members of Black communities in Canada, as well as Indigenous and other marginalized communities, are leading. We created an anti-racism action and accountability plan to work toward a more diverse and truly inclusive company, industry, and society. As part of that plan, we made donations of $20,000 each to the Black Legal Action Centre, the Black Health Alliance, and the Nia Centre for the Arts, three Black-led organizations that work in the service of racial equity in their respective areas for members of Black communities in Toronto and nationwide. Beyond this crucial moment, we’re committed to providing ongoing support to organizations working in the area of anti-racism.
Dinner on the House is an annual employee volunteer experience designed to serve those who may need a helping hand during the holiday season. For the past fourteen years, Penguin Random House volunteers have joined City Harvest at their Food Rescue Center to help repack food items into family-sized portions for distribution to New Yorkers in need.
For the past several years, in celebration of Sant Jordi’s Day we have donated 10,000 books to prisons throughout Spain. These donations aim to help incarcerated individuals connect with others and to assist with their reintegration.
BRAZIL (2020)
To commemorate the abolition of slavery in Brazil, Companhia das Letras developed programming for educators that focuses on literature and anti-racist education. We seek to present urgent, critical content schools and educational institutions need to confront systemic racism. As part of the programming, Black multimedia specialists produced all the videos for educators’ training.
The Global Walk is an annual, company-wide fundraising event held in New York City, which supports local nonprofit organizations that align with our commitment to social responsibility and giving back to communities in need. Past fundraising recipients include The Legal Aid Society, Project HOPE, Girls Write Now, i, Too, Arts Collective, and Barbershop Books, among others. Over the past five years, employees have raised more than $240,000 for our beneficiaries.
BARCELONA (2019)
In 2019, for our annual Sant Jordi volunteering occasion, we hosted events with mothers and children who are at risk of exclusion in Barcelona. The event included a talk for the mothers and a fun activity with the children, who were able to dress up as dragons.!
