Boeing Donates $1 Million to Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Boeing made the announcement at the Unity Prayer Breakfast that Boeing sponsored at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. In addition to Boeing, some 1,000 civil rights and faith leaders, government officials and others attended the event.

The Boeing Company – In celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington, Harry E. Johnson, Sr. President and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc., announced today that The Boeing Company will donate $1 million toward building a lasting Memorial to Dr. King on the National Mall.

“On behalf of Boeing and its employees, I am proud to announce this gift with the sincere hope that, through this Memorial, the power of Dr. King’s example will endure and become a reality in our lifetime,” said James Bell, Boeing corporate president, chief financial officer and executive vice president. “Striving to create a better future by bringing people together, enabling communication and protecting peace is what inspires our 160,000 employees everyday. We are tremendously honored to support the Memorial as an enduring reminder of Dr. King’s legacy of inclusion, hope and freedom.”

Bell made the announcement at the Unity Prayer Breakfast that Boeing sponsored today at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. In addition to Bell and Johnson, some 1,000 civil rights and faith leaders, government officials and others attended the event.

“As a result of the generous donation by Boeing, the Memorial Foundation has reached the $100 million fundraising mark and we continue to move forward with excitement as we set forth to raise the remaining $20 million needed to build the Memorial,” said Johnson.

Boeing joins the following major donors to the Memorial: General Motors, Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, NBA/WNBA, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Walt Disney Company Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; The Ford Motor Fund, Toyota, AARP, AFLAC, BP America, Inc., CIGNA, Credit Unions of the United States, DuPont, ExxonMobil Foundation, Fannie Mae Corporation, FedEx Corporation, GE, Ann and Joel Horowitz Family
Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Sheila C. Johnson-Newman, Lehman Brothers, George Lucas, MacFarlane Partners, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, McDonald’s Corporation, MetLife Foundation, National Association of Realtors (NAR), National Education Association (NEA), Nationwide Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Pfizer Foundation, Prudential Financial, Inc., Shell Oil Company, State Farm Insurance, Verizon Foundation, Viacom, Wal-Mart, Morehouse College, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Knight Foundation among others.

About the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be built on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial honoring Dr. King to be built in Washington, D.C. The ceremonial groundbreaking took place on November 13, 2006 and the Memorial will be completed in 2010. McKissack & McKissack / Turner Construction Company/ Gilford Corporation / Tompkins Builders, Inc. Joint Venture will serve as the Design-Build Team. McKissack & McKissack is the oldest minority- owned architectural firm in the United States. For more information or to make a donation, please visit http://www.buildthedream.org.

About the Memorial
The Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial is conceived of as an engaging landscape experience tied to other landscapes and monuments, not as a single object or memorial dominating the site. The composition of the memorial utilizes landscape elements to powerfully convey three fundamental and recurring themes of Dr.King’s life: justice,democracy and hope. The circular geometry of the memorial, juxtaposed within the triangular configuration of the site, engages the Tidal Basin and frames views to the water.

The central opening through the arc on the axis of the Jefferson and Lincoln Monuments places this memorial directly in line with larger democratic ideals that form the context for King’s words and deeds. The memorial is envisioned as a quiet and receptive space, yet at the same time, powerful and emotionally evocative, reflecting the spirit of the message Dr. King delivered and the role he played in society.

The King Memorial is intended to be personally transformative for visitors, building a sense of commitment to the promise of positive change and active citizenship. Drawing from Dr. King’s own rich metaphorical language, the themes of “the Man, the Movement and the Message” are intertwined into a larger experience of place.

About The Boeing Company
The Boeing Company is the world’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft. Employing more than 160,000 people across the United States and in 70 countries, Boeing is committed to being a leading global corporate citizen around the globe. For Boeing, this means partnering with communities in 26 states in the U.S. and 16 countries and four regions internationally to drive strong, positive change by convening, collaborating and leading in building vibrant, diverse communities that make the world better for everyone.

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