One of my earliest memories was when my family made that fateful journey by ship from the Philippines to the United States. I was 3-years old.
My father was in the US Army and he was already in the United States. It was up to my mother to pack up three kids and the clothes we would need, do all the necessary paperwork and settle us in our cabine so we could make the journey by sesa to join my father who would be waiting for us in San Francisco.
The ship was not a fancy luxery cruise ship but a US transport vessel. it had staterooms, a dining room that served three meals a day and even a day-care facility that kept us youngsters busy with games, movies and other activities.
My favorite part of the day was the afternoon when my mom would allow my older brother and I to have a treat. At the ship's stern there was a lone red and white Coca-Cola machine where my brother and I would buy a cup of Coca-Cola.
For only a dime, a paper cup would drop and the syrup and soda would pour into it mixing together.
To a little Filipino kid, that no drink tasted as good as that dark, sweet concoction from that machine. It was my introduction to America.
Later, I learned that Coke had a rival soft drink. That would be Pepsi.
Pepsi and Coke have have this ongoing intense rivalry as to which of the two sodas is the most popular.
We're not here to argue which soda tastes better. This is about corporate responsibility and what big companies value. You've heard about the so-called "Cola Wars" before, right? Well, there's a new front in the rivalry, and it's all about DEI—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Encouraged by the Donald Trump administration's attempts to do away with DEI programs meant to provide opportunities for people who historically been ignored or denied the same opportunities enjoyed by White males, Pepsi has too eagerly dropped its DEI program raising the question if it was ever committed to opening its corporate doors.
They're removing specific goals for minority hiring and shifting the focus. This comes after some noisy anti-affirmative action campaigns in the US. The company is basically bowing to pressure, moving away from concrete targets and toward, what they call, "broader" programs.
But wait. What does that really mean? When you water down your promises and remove your targets, aren't you just paving the way for inaction? It's easy for companies to talk the talk about inclusion, but when it’s time to walk the walk, suddenly the metrics disappear. It's like promising to fix our country's problems without a clear plan.
Compare Pepsi's decision with Coca-Cola. It appears that the international corporation is trying to live up to that classic "Hilltop" commericial in which a diverse group of young people sang that song that still lingers in my head:
"I'd like to buy the world a home / And furnish it with love / Grow apple trees and honey bees / And snow white turtle doves / I'd like to teach the world to sing / In perfect harmony / I'd like to buy the world a Coke / And keep it company / That's the real thing"
Ahh, the world seemed so simple then in the 1970s and everything was so promising and possible. But that was then and today the Republicans have turned DEI into a dirty word.
RELATED:The Coke commercial hits home
Today, Coca-Coal is doubling down on their commitment to DEI. They're setting hard goals, like having women in half of their senior leadership roles by 2030. They're making sure their workforce reflects the national census. They’ve even said that not having a culture of inclusion could hurt their business.
Coca-Cola supports these initiatives through employee inclusion networks, equity audits, and the integration of DEI principles into human resources and business policies to foster an inclusive environment where all employees feel valued and can thrive.
What's the lesson here? One company, Pepsi, is seemingly prioritizing a smoother public relations path, bending the knee to Trump. The other, Coca-Cola, is saying that inclusion isn't just a feel-good thing—it's good for the business. They see that diversity isn't a quota to be met and then forgotten but also a strategic business advantage, enhancing innovation, attracting talent, and improving decision-making.
So next time you reach for a soda, ask yourself: which company's actions do you stand behind? It's a small choice, but it speaks volumes about what we, as a society, demand from the powerful.
For me, the answer is clear. I decided to boycott Pepsi. You're free to join me if you want.
I still get the fuzzies thinking about that little kid enjoying that first sip of Coke on that ship taking me to a new land and changing my life forever. Its true: things go better with Coke.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge.
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