Twitter CEO donates $1.5M to Catholic, African-American high school in New Orleans
It is the largest donation the school has ever received
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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey donated $1.5 million on Wednesday to a historically African-American, Catholic all-boys high school in New Orleans.
The donation to St. Augistine High School is part of Dorsey's commitment to give $1 billion, or 28 percent of his net worth, to coronavirus pandemic relief, education efforts and basic income experimentation through his charity fund, Start Small, LLC.
Melissa Duplantier, St. Augustine's marketing director, told FOX Business that while Dorsey has no personal affiliation with the school, Twitter's head of sports partnerships, TJ Adeshola, toured the school in January.
"Upon entering the halls of St. Augustine High School, I was immediately inspired by the confidence, ambition and passion exhibited by each of the young men. I knew then, that the opportunity to support these students and future students was much larger than a classroom visit," Adeshola said in a statement.
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He added that St. Augustine and his "good friend Aulston Taylor, chief development officer at the school," will "benefit from this wonderful, generous gift."
The donation is the largest in the school's history as it works to help families affected by the coronavirus pandemic afford tuition for the coming semesters. The contribution will help fund St. Augustine's academic programs, technology and infrastructure, including upgrades to classrooms, science labs and other facilities.
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"We cannot overstate the power and reach of this transformational and game-changing gift from Mr. Jack Dorsey and #StartSmall," said St. Augustine High School President and CEO Kenneth St. Charles said in a statement. "This gift allows our school and students to continue to have a tremendous impact not only on our local and regional communities but on our entire nation."
St. Charles added that the school is "honored" Dorsey chose to invest in St. Augustine.
"His support reaffirms the impact that our school has had in the past, and the unlimited potential we will continue to have not only in the African American community but in society at large," he said. "Future generations will benefit from this inspiring gift as St. Augustine works to prepare young men in ways that provide bold, transformative educational experiences grounded in our Catholic traditions."
St. Augustine, founded in 1951, played a critical role for schools in New Orleans during the Civil Rights Movement.
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"It has a long history of working for civil rights for African Americans," Duplantier said, adding that the school "did a lot of work in desegregating ... school sports and athletic programs" in the area.
At the time it was founded, African-American students played in a different sports league than white students, but St. Augustine sought to change that and played an integral role in bringing white and black athletes together.
Dorsey has also donated to a number of social-justice organizations including the NAACP, Black Lives Matter and The Bail Project as activists work to make change in the aftermath of George Floyd's May 25 death, according to a list of his donations.