General Motors announced it has designated $10 million to support organizations that promote
inclusion and racial justice. An initial $1 million will go to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Recipients of additional funding will be determined with input from GM’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and the recently announced GM Inclusion Advisory Board (IAB). GM’s IAB will consist of leaders from inside and outside the company, with the goal of making GM the most inclusive company in the world. GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra will chair the IAB.
The GM program includes the opportunity for employees to give to organizations, and a corporate matching of those employee contributions. The employee contributions and the GM matching funds are part of the $10 million. Program details will be distributed to employees when finalized.
“Through today’s donations, GM is taking action in helping root out intolerance – and that means racism, bigotry, discrimination and any other form of hatred,” said Barra. “We want to be part of meaningful, deliberate change and we will not allow ourselves the passivity of urging others to act. We are taking action.”
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans. LDF also defends the gains and protections won over the past 75 years of civil rights struggle, and works to improve the quality and diversity of judicial and executive appointments.
Barra was also recently named to the Business Roundtable’s (BRT) Special Committee for Racial Equality and Justice.