Supporting Diversity Initiatives at the Firm and in the Community
Event is part of Booz Allen's African American Heritage Month celebrations.
On February 24, 2006, Booz Allen Hamilton hosted author and historian Robert J. Schneller, Jr. and U.S. Naval Academy graduate LCDR Wesley Brown (USN, Ret.) for a discussion on diversity. Schneller is the author of "Breaking the Color Barrier," which examines the experiences of black midshipmen at Annapolis and the institution's transformation into one that ranks equal opportunity among its fundamental tenets.
Booz Allen's African American Forum, Armed Services Forum, African American Heritage Month Committee, Diversity Team, Diversity Recruiting Committee, and a group of client staff supporting maritime services clients jointly sponsored the event.
Brown, who in 1949 became the first black graduate of the Academy, shared his experiences about life at the school and the encounters he had with his classmates. Schneller spoke about how the Academy responded to the demands for integration from black and white civilians, civil rights activists, and politicians.
Supporting Diversity Initiatives at the Academy
To help further the Academy's diversity goals, Principal David B. Robinson (VADM, USN, Ret.) presented a $100,000 donation on behalf of Booz Allen to Richard Johnson, Executive Vice-President of the Naval Academy Foundation, at the February 24th event. The donation will support Academy's Centers of Influence Program, which identifies promising young people in minority communities.
"This financial contribution will help the Naval Academy strengthen its outreach program to find diverse candidates who have the moral, mental, and physical strengths to be successful at the Academy and endure in their service to the nation," explained Robinson.
African American Heritage Month at Booz Allen
Booz Allen office across the United States celebrated African American Heritage Month throughout February. In addition to the Breaking the Color Barrier presentation held at the firm's worldwide headquarters in Virginia, Booz Allen hosted Parnell Dickinson, the first black quarterback drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Patricia Coulter, President & CEO of the Urban League of Philadelphia; and Bruce Gordon, President & CEO of the NAACP. Other events included Diversity Club book discussions featuring Barack Obama's "Dreams of My Father," art exhibits, trivia contests, and cultural outings.
"Booz Allen recognizes the successes and experiences of all cultures and backgrounds and offers an environment where we can celebrate those cultures and experiences," says Senior Consultant Courtney Laws. "The theme of this year's African American Heritage Month — Breaking the Color Barrier: Thinkers, Movers, and Shakers — fits with the event honoring Wesley Brown because he 'broke the color barrier' at the Academy. It also gives us an opportunity to celebrate the barriers broken by all African American thinkers, movers, and shakers outside the firm and within Booz Allen."
story posted March 8, 2006
