Today, during the first HBCU STEAM Day of Action, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams (D-NC) and Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus, announced that Lyft is the second entity to take the HBCU Partnership Challenge. The previously announced Challenge and survey are an effort to promote equal support for HBCUs and the students they serve.
“The Bipartisan HBCU Caucus is working hard to address the inequities facing HBCUs. We’ve made progress, but Congress cannot do it alone,” said Congresswoman Adams. “Leveling the playing field for our schools and our students requires a collective approach to ensure HBCUs have access to the same federal resources and private sector opportunities as their peer institutions. Lyft’s efforts are a great step towards addressing diversity in the tech sector. We’re glad to continue working with them to create a better equipped and more inclusive workforce.”
“The HBCU Partnership Challenge is just one of the many ways our bipartisan caucus is working to advance the role of HBCUs in our communities,” said Congressman Byrne. “I applaud Lyft for taking on this challenge to increase their involvement with HBCUs from around the country. With more companies take the challenge, we can continue to address unique challenges that HBCUs face in every industry and develop a diverse workforce that attracts talent from all backgrounds.”
"As Lyft grows, we can't reach our goal of hiring the best, most diverse tech talent without investing in and developing close partnerships with the HBCUs that are educating our future workforce," said Lyft's Director of Public Policy, April Mims. "That's why we're so excited to team up with Congresswoman Adams, Congressman Byrne, and bipartisan champions on the HBCU and STEAM Caucuses to highlight the tremendous leadership at these schools and engage in a dialogue on what we can do to help."
Last September, during the first annual HBCU Braintrust, the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus issued the Partnership Challenge. The Challenge encourages participating organizations to make greater investments in HBCUs. Following the issuance of the Challenge, the Caucus conducted a survey to learn more about current HBCU engagement with corporate America. After the conclusion of the survey, the Caucus will work with industry to establish best practices to continue diversifying our workforce. Please see the attached document for more information about the Challenge criteria.
The Bipartisan HBCU Caucus is comprised of 74 members from both chambers and both sides of the aisle. Please find the Partnership Challenge criteria attached here.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Tuesday, March 20th 2018 at 5:15PM
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