Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate Insurance Co. recently announced it had made a contribution of a three year subscription to Encarta Africana to all Chicago Public High Schools. Nearly 500 people turned out at Urban Prep Charter Academy on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007 to hear the announcement that Allstate will provide the online version of Harvard Professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s encyclopedia Encarta Africana to all Chicago Public High Schools for three years as part of their “Beyond February” national campaign. Chicago Public School Board President Rufus Williams accepted the donation from Dr. Gates on behalf of 140 schools that will have access to this award-winning multimedia encyclopedia of black history and culture.
Beyond February is not Allstate’s first program supporting the African American community, but it does mark the first time the company has unified all the African American initiatives under a single umbrella and committed to year-round, annual programming.
Additional keynote speakers and appearances at the Urban Prep Academy event included Rufus Williams, president of the Chicago Board of Education, Chicago artists J. Torae (Grammy award-winning husband and wife duo who have collaborated with rapper and producer Kanye West and R&B singer John Legend) and Anise Wiley-Little, assistant vice president and chief diversity officer for Allstate.
“Whether it’s sponsorships, partnerships, teaching economic empowerment, acknowledging achievement or celebrating family, Allstate is committed to supporting the African American community throughout the year,” said Wiley-Little.
“Urban Prep was designed to help young urban men receive the education and stimulation that they need to succeed in this world,” said Tim King, founder and CEO of Urban Prep Academies. “The Beyond February campaign is aligned with our school mission, because we believe through education and development any young man can thrive and succeed.”
Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men-Englewood Campus is Chicago’s first Charter school designed for the specific needs of young men.
The Allstate Corp. is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer.
Source: Allstate Corp.
Topics Training Development
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