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Boeing donates another $1M to Charleston museum

Jason Thomas //August 11, 2022//

Boeing donates another $1M to Charleston museum

Jason Thomas //August 11, 2022//

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The International African American Museum has received an additional $1 million donation from The Boeing Co.

The contribution will help underserved children experience the educational aspects of the museum during its opening year while also helping to support the organization’s broader mission and operations, an IAAM news release stated.

This most recent gift brings Boeing’s total giving in support of the museum to $2 million, according to the release. Boeing was the first corporate donor to the museum in 2011.

In June, the IAAM announced it would open on Jan. 21, 2023.

Boeing’s donation, in part, will make it possible for IAAM to work with partners to allow children and their families the chance to experience the museum free of cost, the release stated. The museum seeks to honor the untold stories of the African American journey by educating visitors about the realities of the international slave trade and plantation life.

The IAAM also explores the cultures and knowledge systems retained and adapted by Africans in the Americas that have been influential across South Carolina, the United States, and the African Diaspora.

“Our ability to ensure that every young person has unfettered access to the museum is one of our top priorities. I’m excited to continue our partnership with Boeing in such a meaningful way,” Tonya M. Matthews, president and CEO of IAAM, said in the release. “With this support, we have the opportunity to meet one of our critical goals, reaching youth from all walks of life. We’re so grateful to our partners at Boeing for their generosity and continued support.”

This past April, representatives from Boeing — including Ziad Ojakli, executive vice president of Government Operations — had visited the future home of the IAAM, in which the group gained a better understanding of the exhibitions and transformational storytelling that youth will experience, the release stated.

 “At Boeing, advancing racial equity is a key pillar of our community engagement work, and we believe in the International African American Museum’s mission to unlock and honor the untold stories of the African American journey and South Carolina’s history,” Ojakli said in the release. “We are proud to support the museum’s efforts to share those stories with thousands of students. As an active and engaged member of the South Carolina community, we are grateful to IAAM for their partnership, and we look forward to seeing these exhibits and experiences bring these important and impactful stories to life.”

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