Black students all over the country are walking across the stage as new graduates. With this in mind, Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Business Roundtable are partnering to make sure they will walk into successful careers after completing their degrees.
The organizations recently announced the partnership is aiming to invest in students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and develop a pipeline of diverse talent for America’s largest companies. Through the partnership, Business Roundtable companies will provide scholarships, internships, and professional development opportunities to HBCU students and open pathways to employment and advancement.
“Business Roundtable companies know that their success depends on investing in diverse workforces and on increasing diversity in corporate leadership,” Business Roundtable President & CEO Joshua Bolten said in a statement. “We are honored to partner with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which has a strong record of supporting and developing future leaders.”
The initiative is aiming to significantly narrow the racial wealth by pipelining high-paying career opportunities to the students.
“This partnership is an example of America’s largest employers moving the needle in the national dialogue on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Thurgood Marshall College Fund President & CEO Dr. Harry L. Williams in a statement. “Now is the time to turn position statements into policies and action for change. We are proud to partner with the Business Roundtable to support the next generation of leaders from HBCUs, institutions that play a critical role in ensuring young people of color are not left behind.”
The initiative announced today includes several Roundtable member companies with existing TMCF partnerships as well as companies developing new partnerships. To date, more than 50 Business Roundtable companies have partnered with TMCF, and some of the commitments have included providing financial contributions to support scholarships for students to attend HBCUs and creating diverse talent pipelines through immersive experiences and internship opportunities, which helps open doors to full-time employment.
Business Roundtable member companies with existing TMCF partnerships include Amazon, American Express, American Tower, Apple, Bank of America, The Boeing Company, Boston Consulting Group, C.H. Robinson, Caterpillar, The Coca-Cola Company, Corning, CVS Health, Deere & Company, Eli Lilly and Company, FedEx Corporation, Ford, Goldman Sachs & Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co., KPMG International, Lowe’s Companies Inc., McDonald’s, Medtronic, Microsoft, Nasdaq, NextEra Energy, PepsiCo, Pfizer Inc., Stanley Black & Decker, UPS, Vanguard, Verizon Communications, Walmart and Wells Fargo & Company.
Companies developing new partnerships with TMCF include Alphabet, Anthem, Baxter International, Chevron, Chipotle, Eastman, Gap, Hanesbrands Inc., Hearst, KeyCorp, Kohler, McCormick & Company, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, S&P Global, Steelcase Inc., Synchrony, Truist Financial Corporation, Verisk and Visa. The Roundtable anticipates additional companies will launch partnerships with TMCF in the weeks and months ahead.
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