Built to Unite

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

New Orleans & Company strives to increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) within our own organization and in support of our members and partner organizations. New Orleans & Company is the proud recipient of the 2023 Acclaim Award for Corporate Leadership by the Forum for Equality.

Internal

Equity Audit

New Orleans & Company underwent an equity audit performed by Beloved Community, a locally based national nonprofit, to identify strengths and needs in operationalizing commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion

The Procurement Council

Internal committee of New Orleans & Company that is made up of leadership from local minority Chambers associations, the hospitality industry, and business groups
Focus is to grow supplier diversity within our industry by connecting Disadvantaged Business Enterprises directly with procurement leaders in tourism and hospitality

Founding Member of the local Anti-defamation League’s Corporate Council Against Hate

Know Be4 Training and Continue Training
Ongoing staff-wide training modules

DEI Leadership Series by Destinations International

Director of HR completed a 6-month DEI Leadership Series conducted by the Ladipo Consulting Group in partnership with Destinations International that included sessions focused on Emotional Intelligence, Effective Communication, Microaggressions, Unconscious Bias and Allyship.

DEI TEAMS Channel

Established to help employees easily locate companywide resources

New Orleans & Company President & CEO, Walt Leger III participated in the “Roll With Me” campaign. The program invites local civic leaders to navigate their cities in wheelchairs to bring awareness to accessibility needs.

Everyone's Welcome Here Logo

Everyone's Welcome Here Sticker Program

neworleans.com/welcoming

Gay Cities readers gave New Orleans the distinction of being named second most welcoming city in the world
New Orleans scored 100 on the 2022 Human Rights Campaign MEI Rating

LGBT Couple Enjoying New Orleans

LGBTQ Travel Content

neworleans.com/lgbtq

A city as inclusive as ours has a lot to offer LGBTQ+ visitors and locals, which is why our online LGBTQ+ Insider hub includes travel tips, family guides, can’t-miss attractions, and more. This resource is regularly updated with new information and even more opportunities for inclusive and welcoming community engagement.

Advancing Protections

Powering Progress & Advancing Protections. Our city leaders are working to improve life for LGBTQ+ people in New Orleans every day.

Mayor's LGBTQ Taskforce

As part of the Office of Human Rights and Equity, Mayor Cantrell launched an LGBTQ+ Taskforce dedicated to assessing current LGBTQ+ services and policies and making recommendations for improvements and new developments. The Taskforce is composed of LGBTQ+ representatives who collaborate with the city to align available services with challenges that are most important and pressing for queer residents and visitors.

Gender-Affirming Identification

In 2021, the New Orleans City Council unanimously passed R-21-406. The resolution urges representatives at the state and local levels to review their policies and remove any barriers that could inhibit transgender and gender non-conforming people from obtaining gender-affirming identification. The Council heard the guidance and testimony of representatives from the Real Name Campaign, the Forum for Equality, Louisiana Trans Advocates, and True Colors United.

City Of New Orleans Office of Human Rights and Equity (OHRE)

OHRE works to promote and protect human rights and advocate for equity in local government.

Areas of focus:

Providing policy and technical assistance
Forging partnerships with residents and advocates
Providing training to City departments and to the community
Providing assistance and support to the Human Relations Commission
Creating a Welcoming City
Coordinating the City’s racial equity initiatives
Facilitating the City’s LGBTQ+ Task Force

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

New Orleans scored 93 on the 2023 Human Rights Campaign MEI Rating

• Non-Discrimination Laws 27/30

• Municipal Services 12/12

• Law Enforcement 22/22

• Leadership on LGBTQ+ Equality 6/8 + 5/5 Flex

OHRE participated in the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by submitting the first report on behalf of the City of New Orleans. OHRE engaged community stakeholders, advocates, and other City departments to identify and report human rights priorities and best practices. If you are interested in the report, you can read it here.

More Ways New Orleans Is Focusing On Inclusion

Mardi Gras Indians on Mardi Gras Day

In 2015, New Orleans & Company created the New Orleans LGBT Hospitality Alliance (NOLHA), a convening of queer community leaders and hospitality professionals who advise the city on equity and inclusion initiatives.
The LGBT Community Center of New Orleans is a board-run organization committed to changing the future for underserved demographics, as well as creating forums for queer people to collaborate and engage.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation operates LGBTQ+ Field of Interest funds to ensure community leadership is supported and secure for years to come.

Made in New Orleans Foundation (MINO)

Addresses disparities facing hospitality professionals of color

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Glass Leadership Institute (GLI)

Empowers young adults to fight hatred and bigotry in their own communities

Wheel the World

A leading platform and community for accessible travel, dedicated to helping travelers with disabilities find and book inclusive travel experiences worldwide
“This partnership with New Orleans & Company represents a meaningful step towards accessibility and inclusion,” said Álvaro Silberstein, CEO of Wheel the World. “It’s inspiring to see New Orleans’ commitment to creating a welcoming environment for people with disabilities, both travelers and locals alike. We are confident that this collaboration will have a lasting, positive impact on our community by setting a standard for accessible tourism that other destinations can follow.”

Travel Unity

• New membership and sponsor

Youth Force NOLA

New Orleans & Company provides internships
Recognized as a Gold Star sponsor

Corporate Internship Leadership Institute- CILI

Providing internships for BIPOC Students

The Feather Fund NOLA

Benefits Mardi Gras Masking Indians
Raises funding to provide suit materials and decorative items for the sewing and construction of Aboriginal Indian suits
Sponsors programming to support the youth of New Orleans to encourage education, pride of community, and to stop the cycles of poverty and crime in our neighborhoods

Corporate Social Responsibilty

New Orleans is the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming city in the world. New Orleans & Company’s mission is to inspire, promote and encourage travel to our city for the economic, social and community benefit of New Orleans and its people.

Our internal CSR commitments have four key areas of focus: Sustainability, Business Community, Philanthropy, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the Workplace.

BUSINESS COMMUNITY

Goal: To help small and disadvantaged businesses connect with opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industry.

New Orleans & Company team members both serve on a variety of nonprofit Boards and volunteer with the organizations

New Orleans & Company created a procurement council made up of stakeholders in our industry and business community leaders to create and streamline better opportunities for small business owners to bid on work within our industry

PHILANTHROPY

Goal: To fulfill our mission centered around supporting the community we serve.

New Orleans & Company provides opportunities for staff to donate time and money to nonprofit organizations. New Orleans & Company actively engages in:

donating school supplies to public schools
providing meals to the unhoused population
sponsorship and participation of Habitat for Humanity Women Build and Pride Build
partnering with Arnaud’s & the New Orleans Police Justice Foundation for the Annual Teddy Bear Drive to benefit the New Orleans Police Department, ten years running

hosting community health fairs for the hospitality and tourism workforce
donating to Toys for Tots during the holiday season
partnering with Home for Good New Orleans
volunteerism for Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans to help sort and package food for those in need
connecting conventions and meetings to local nonprofits to partner and support our community

HOME FOR GOOD

Working to Solve Homelessness in New Orleans by 2025; of the 166 people who were housed from encampments in partnership with the city since November 2023, 152 are still housed as of September 2024, or over 90%.

Closing approximately 12-15 encampments site by site with the goal to rehouse 1,500 Individuals by the end of 2025

Geographic targets based on highest risk and need
Consistent, daily outreach by CMs and trained staff (including Health)
Active and appealing landlord engagement strategies
Providing for basic needs (move-in kits)

Meetings & Connections

Meeting / Convention Attendees - Built to Host

New Orleans & Company provides opportunities for conferences and meetings to support our local community through CSR efforts. Our team can connect meeting planners and business professionals with local non-profit organizations that can help

them create a volunteer or donation activity for their group. We’re able to recommend non-profits that closely align with a conference’s CSR mission, creating a fun experience for attendees to give back while visiting our city. Visiting associations and corporations have the chance to donate time, money, and supplies while engaging in meaningful team-building activities.

We are proud to share testimonials from groups who have participated in CSR givebacks and left a positive impact on our community.

Testimonials

2024

New Orleans and Company knows how to roll out the red carpet for events. More than that, they know how to build relationships that matter and enhance the experience for all the participants. The ELCA Youth Gathering was a giant success due to the work of Allison and Rachel with New Orleans and Company. They welcomed us with open arms and worked their magic behind the scenes to ensure a wonderful event for our 15,000 high school students. They celebrated our successes and problem solved our challenges. Our team leaders love New Orleans for all the obvious reasons – food, culture, music, and more. I love New Orleans for the way the people of this city welcome the stranger. We aren’t strangers anymore! New Orleans is truly a city built to host.

Tammy Jones West

2024 ELCA Youth Gathering Director

2024

I cannot overstate how incredible and overwhelming it was to have such enthusiastic and dedicated support from the amazing ALA volunteers. I would find myself standing back in awe watching so many people working so diligently and so energetically in our space to make it the best that it can be. When the second and final bus departed, I just walked around in awe. In 6 short hours, the whole world changed for us at 826 as our organized and sorted physical space could match our intent and drive to support and nurture and amplify the voices of young people through writing and publication. That we did it in collaboration with a professional group who are dedicated to the power of books, writing, and knowledge sharing, themselves so often facing some of the same hurdles that we do, was a magical thing to be a part of.

826 New Orleans

2024

I had the opportunity to accompany a group of students to a pathology conference recently, and it was an unforgettable experience. The conference was a great opportunity for the students to learn more about the field of pathology and to interact with professionals in the field. Overall, the pathology conference was a fantastic learning experience for the students, and I believe it will have a lasting impact on their academic and professional lives. The organization of the conference was excellent, and the content was both informative and engaging.

New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School

2024

Friends & Partners

Need a hand? These organizations are here to help.

Gulf South LGBTQ Champer of Commerce Logo

Gulf South LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce

gslgbtchamber.org

You don’t have to wonder how you can support LGBTQ+ businesses in the Greater New Orleans region. The Gulf South LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce is a network of queer-owned and allied businesses that work together to foster a more inclusive, more visible professional ecosystem. Use their directory to find LGBTQ-owned businesses, meet Chamber members, and discover how LGBTQ+ businesses impact and improve our city in this handy guide.

Forum for Equality Logo

Forum for Equality

forumforequality.org

At a time when legislative attacks against LGBTQ+ people are becoming increasingly common, organizations like Forum for Equality are organizing, mobilizing, and making positive change. This grassroots organization has been advancing LGBTQ+ civil rights at regional and state government levels since 1989, in addition to educating and engaging local communities.

House of Tulip Logo

House of Tulip

houseoftulip.org

Did you know that 1 in 3 transgender and gender non-conforming people in Louisiana reported experiencing homelessness in their lifetime? House of Tulip was formed in response to this reality and provides zero-barrier housing to TGNC, as well as connects community members to gender-affirming services.

IGLTA International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association Logo

International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association

iglta.org

If you notice anti-LGBTQ+ laws being discussed or passed in state legislatures, you may ask yourself if boycotting a destination within that city is helpful in getting those laws to change. Our position, as well as IGLTAs, is that these types of boycotts will likely do more harm to local communities than the state government as a whole. Instead, we invite you to visit those municipalities that are fighting for LGBTQ+ inclusion, while also donating to groups fighting back against those laws like the ACLU, Louisiana Trans Advocates, and HRC NOLA.

Beloved Community Logo

Beloved Community

wearebeloved.org/

We turn commitment into action. At Beloved Community, our mission is to build sustainable change. We do so by supporting regions to further their collaborative journey for racial and economic equity, and by centering our most marginalized populations as we advance towards the beloved community.

This looks like empowering teams to drive change through equity audits and thought partnership; guiding leaders through capacity-building sessions + equity work plans; and curating customized frameworks for operationalizing equity commitments.