In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests this summer, a growing number of companies are making financial commitments to racial equity. Spirit Airlines has joined the wave of new efforts, promising $250,000 in air travel to nine civil rights organizations across the country.
“At Spirit, we promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and strongly support the Black community, because Black lives matter,” said Laurie Villa, president of the Spirit Airlines Charitable Foundation and senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Spirit Airlines, in a statement. “We are proud to partner with these great organizations and admire how tirelessly they work to advocate for social justice and civil rights.”
Organizations supported through the initiative include the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women, the Urban League of Broward County, the Urban League of Detroit & Southeastern Michigan, the Common Ground Foundation, the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida and the National Black Chamber of Commerce.
“During these challenging and uncertain times, we applaud Spirit for stepping up to strengthen our longstanding efforts to advance racial equity and social justice in our community,” said Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, president and CEO of The Urban League of Broward County, in a statement.
