CHICAGO, Oct. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In observance
of National Native American Heritage Month in November, Boeing
[NYSE: BA] today committed $1.3
million to support Indigenous communities across
the United States.
The investment package includes $300,000 in grants for Southwest Tribal Nations
to improve access to clean water, bridge the digital divide in
education and provide better natural disaster response and
preparation. The package also includes $140,000 in grants in the Pacific Northwest and a
$60,000 grant in Oklahoma supporting STEM education programs
for students. An additional $840,000
will fund future projects for Native American and Indigenous
communities to be detailed at a later date.
"We recognize the toll on Native American and Indigenous
communities from centuries of injustice, and we take seriously our
role in supporting education and development in these communities,"
said Marc Allen, Boeing's chief
strategy officer, senior vice president of Strategy and Corporate
Development and enterprise executive sponsor of the Boeing Native
American Network. "Today's exciting announcement continues our
longstanding efforts to lift up equity and opportunity in the
communities where our employees live and work."
The new investments build on the company's previously announced
multi-year commitment to combat racism and advance racial equity
and social justice at all levels.
"It is inspiring to see Boeing continue to make its commitment
to help improve the lives of those they serve," said Gwendena
Lee-Gatewood, chairwoman of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
"Boeing funds will help our children obtain assistance and empower
young people across the Apache Nation with new leadership skills,
new education partnerships, and health and technology. As children,
we were all taught to treasure what the Earth gives us and to
make sure that we leave it for the next generation, and by helping
improve educational needs of our children, we are helping empower
them. This is truly magnificent."
"The lack of clean running water on the Navajo Nation was dire
before the pandemic hit," said Emma
Robbins, Diné (Navajo)
activist and director of the Navajo Water Project. "Over 30% of
families on the Navajo Nation are without water access. COVID-19
exacerbated an existing problem, and Boeing's generous donation
will allow us to address this crisis head on and accelerate our
efforts to expand water access across the Navajo Nation."
"Since time immemorial, Indigenous people have used science and
technology to survive, to adapt, to create and to thrive," said
Puget Sound Educational Service District NAEP Manager Jason LaFontaine (Turtle Mountain Chippewa).
"The focus of the Boeing STEM grant is to show Native youth how
their cultural ways of knowing and their future can be seen through
the lens of science, technology, engineering and math."
In the past two years, Boeing and its employees have invested
close to $660,000 in organizations
supporting Native American and other Indigenous communities –
bringing the company's global support for these populations to
$2 million. In addition, the
company's employee-led Boeing Native American Network Business
Resource Group promotes awareness for the richness and diversity of
Native American and Indigenous cultures, encourages STEM careers
for Native American youth and provides training opportunities for
Native Americans and others to develop their professional and
personal skills.
"Having been raised on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, I learned at a young age about
determination, overcoming obstacles and personal accountability. I
know firsthand how important resources are to this community," said
Kathleen Jolivette, Boeing vice
president of Attack Helicopter programs and senior Mesa, Arizona, site executive. "And just as I
am proud to be a Native American, I too am proud to work for a
company that is not only continuing to address racial equity by
funding immediate needs, but also looking for ways to partner with
Indigenous communities for long-term solutions."
Nonprofits receiving immediate grant funding include:
- Partnership with Native Americans: A
$125,000 investment will
support tribal self-sufficiency by providing training and equipment
to Native American tribes that will help increase effectiveness in
preparing for and responding to natural disasters.
- DigDeep: A $100,000 investment will fund the "Navajo
Water Project," which provides residents on the Navajo Nation
access to water, job training and equipment. This Indigenous-led,
locally staffed program develops wells to pump, treat and store
clean water, which is delivered by trucks to off-grid home water
systems.
- Puget Sound Educational Service District: A
$75,000 investment will
provide funding for the Red Road Project, a culturally infused STEM
curriculum led by Native American educators that will reach
400 K-12 Native American students in
four Pierce County, Washington,
school districts. The Puyallup and
Muckleshoot Tribes also support this program.
- Oklahoma State University
Foundation: A $60,000
investment will fund a paid summer internship program for high
school juniors and seniors. The program will offer Native American
students the opportunity to work alongside faculty and
undergraduate engineering students at the university's Unmanned
Systems Research Institute.
- American Indian Science and Engineering Society: A
$50,000 investment will
support the Together Towards Tomorrow (T3) Fund, which provides
one-time scholarships of $500 to
1,000 Indigenous students enrolled in an accredited U.S. college or
university who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Mentor Washington: A $45,000 investment will support the Native
American Career Connect STEM program, a partnership with the
Nisqually Tribe that increases Native American students' engagement
and success in school through group mentorship and career
exploration.
- Fort Apache Heritage Foundation: A
$25,000 investment will
provide immediate technology access to White Mountain Apache tribal
students in Arizona currently
learning from home without computers or internet access.
- Washington MESA:
In partnership with the Red Road project, this $20,000 investment will fund the Washington
MESA (Math, Engineering, Science
Achievement) program, which delivers hands-on STEM exploration
opportunities to 160 Native American middle school students in
Pierce County, Washington.
Boeing plans to make additional announcements related to its
racial equity and social justice investment strategy in the
future.
Contact:
media@boeing.com
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SOURCE Boeing