Doritos® Teams Up With Ego Nwodim To Highlight The Second Year Of Solid Black™ Initiative
Doritos® Teams Up With Ego Nwodim To Highlight The Second Year Of Solid Black™ Initiative That Supports Black Changemakers
Jul 13, 2022,09:00am EDT
Saturday Night Live cast member Ego Nwodim teamed up with Doritos to usher in the sophomore year of SOLID BLACKTM. The multi-platform initiative celebrates and highlights Black Changemakers positively impacting their community. Doritos, a subsidiary of PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, pledged to invest $5 million in providing platforms to aid the Changemakers to continue their innovative work to drive constructive progress in society. Doritos will also commit $200,000 towards this year's class of Solid Black Changemakers, according to the snack food's press release.
In addition, the brand is spotlighting the works of Black creators through its limited-edition packaging, and Doritos intends to press forward in supporting the launch of the PepsiCo Foundation's new Black Nonprofit Changemakers program, a service that will help Black nonprofit community leaders and guarantee the continuation of Solid Black's mission.
Doritos will contribute an additional $125,000 to five nonprofit organizations that support the next generation of trailblazers. Each Changemaker can select a nonprofit of their choosing to receive Doritos' donation.
Actress and comedian Ego Nwodim discussed her involvement in the campaign and the importance of magnifying Black voices. She brought her unique comedic charisma to the new television commercial introducing this year's Changemakers that premiered at the BET Awards on June 26.
"It was so fun; I met all four of this year's Changemakers. They were all incredibly lovely, and it's nice to have a representation of people in various industries beyond just entertainment, who are trying to derive change in whatever world they occupy," she excitedly recalls. "And then I was directed by Benny Boom, who was legendary; that was a surreal moment for me, it was a really fun day, and it felt like a day driven by love and purpose and a mission, and I was excited to be a part of that."
She continued to expound on why it is important that Doritos heighten Black voices, especially in our present social climate, "I think for so long, we've existed in a society that doesn't amplify those voices, and in many cases, tries to muffle those voices. It feels good to be in a time when companies like Doritos and Pepsi Co are trying to give those voices a platform. These are not voices; I think our society has listened to willingly to the extent that they've listened to other voices," she candidly points out. "So it's good to shine a spotlight on not just these voices, but also the work they're doing, and the way they are driving change in their communities and to get to see an actual representation of that and to meet people who are driving that change, it's refreshing as well to see."
Nwodim says that the four Changemakers are each extremely special because of how devoted they are to their passions, purpose, and advocating for their respective communities.
Doritos donated $25,000 on behalf of each member of the 2022 class of Solid Black Changemakers for their various programs. On behalf of PikaChulita, the brand donated to the Memphis-based tech mentorship program Code Crew, which mentors underrepresented youth in Memphis to be tech innovators and leaders through practical, hands-on computer science education programs. For Miss Diddy, SoLA I CAN, a 501(c)3 nonprofit affiliate of SoLa Impact, received a monetary gift to further their work to improve the lives of South Los Angeles residents and break the cycle of poverty by providing doors of opportunities in areas of education and economic upward mobility. Eric Hart represents The Gordon Parks Foundation, that seeks to preserve the iconic works of Gordon Parks and arrange mentorships for the future generations of creatives who continue to honor Gordon Parks' legacy. Justin Rodgers, also known as DJ Mr. Rogers is a Houston-based DJ, producer, and radio mixer championed to gain a donation for the The Relief Gang, a subcommittee of Angel By Nature provides assistance to the Houston community to mitigate bleak living conditions, contribute to education and personal health of Houston residents.
Take a look below of the 2022 class of Solid Black Changemakers:
For more information about Solid Black and submit to become a member of next year's class of Changemakers, visit www.doritos.com/SOLIDBLACK. To watch weekly Solid Black Changemaker content series and their stories head over to Doritos' social channels.
To keep up with Ego Nwodim, watch her this fall on SNL and catch her on tour with the Comedy Bang Bang podcast this summer.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Check out the Forbes article here
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