To help increase the number of opportunities for minority and underserved students pursuing careers in STEM, well-known aerospace corporation Boeing Co. has partnered with the Long Beach College Promise, a program that promotes academic success.
Started in 2008, the Long Beach College Promise aims “to fulfill the academic potential of all youth by offering guidance and continuous support along every step of the student experience,” ranging from “pre-K through college and onto career and life,” according to its website.
Boeing Co. has made a donation of $500,000 to the program as part of a multi-year commitment intended to support racial equity and social justice nonprofits, and to encourage diversity in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
“Thankful to Boeing for their contribution to the Long Beach College Promise and supporting work to ensure all students have the opportunity to pursue higher education,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said on Twitter. “This contribution to help minority STEM students will have a huge impact here in Long Beach.”
A nationally recognized organization, the Long Beach College Promise is driven by a partnership between the city of Long Beach and the three local public education institutions, Long Beach State, Long Beach Unified School District and Long Beach City College, and strives to improve college readiness, access and ultimately success.
The corporation’s donation to the program is part of its $10.6 million total disbursement to 20 various nonprofits in the country working to combat racial inequality in America.
According to Jason Capeheart, communication and branding representative for Boeing Co., the aerospace company is committed to implementing new programs that strive to promote success and inclusivity and offer opportunity.
“While Boeing is still working through specifics around the LBCP grant scope and programmatic details, the $500,000 investment will support a range of programs aimed at creating a culture of college expectation and success for African-Americans and other students of color,” he said. “Boeing’s investment in the Long Beach College Promise will help establish STEM career pathways for underserved and underrepresented students in the Long Beach area.”
The $500,000 grant will also be used to help address criminal justice reforms and the healthcare gap in communities of color and looks to “diversify the aerospace talent pipeline,” according to a company statement.
David Calhoun, president and CEO of Boeing Co., said in the statement that he remains “focused on addressing the causes and impacts of racism and social inequality” within the corporation and intends to create additional opportunities for marginalized communities.
“With today’s financial commitment to this group of nonprofit partners, we are hopeful that together, we can begin to make real advances in our ongoing pursuit of equality,” Calhoun said.
According to Capeheart, Boeing Co. will continue to make investments toward other communities in accordance with the company’s racial equity and social justice investment strategy, which includes a commitment to “turn up the volume on dialogue within the company” and have conversations addressing discrimination within the company that “should not be comfortable discussions.”
“Today’s announcement builds on Boeing’s history of partnering with organizations that improve access for and address inequalities in communities of color,” he said. “This $10 million is the first tranche of grant awards to meet our $25 million commitment to racial equity work.”