Time for Meaningful Change
Committed to a more inclusive Boeing and world
We recognize, celebrate and honor the Black community’s rich culture, significant achievements and deep history. Boeing's Black teammates have been a critical driver of our success and innovation for over 80 years — making the company and the world better.
The Black community, including members of our team, has faced particularly difficult times: COVID-19 and its disproportionate effect on racial and ethnic minorities, the brutal killing of George Floyd and too many Black people far before and even after him, civil unrest, and our ongoing fight for Black lives and equality.
Together, across the company and with our valued partners in the communities where we work and live, we are committed to confronting inequity and creating a more inclusive environment for our teammates and future generations.
Accelerating Our Actions to Combat Racial Inequity
We aspire to be the most equitable, diverse and inclusive company. Yet for many, equity and inclusion remain an aspiration, not a reality.
As a company, we are taking a stronger stance than ever before in raising the bar on key measures of equity and inclusion and holding ourselves accountable for clearing that bar. Last year we implemented an equity action plan to advance inclusion and equity for all, confront racism head-on, and build and support a coalition among suppliers and partners.
Internally, we established a Racial Equity Task Force to serve as a long-term think tank representing a diverse mix of viewpoints and experiences from different sites, positions and backgrounds. This task force is helping us lead and drive transformational and systemic change.
We have committed to closing representation gaps for all historically underrepresented groups and are working diligently to increase Black representation by 20% in our U.S. workforce. Further, we have committed, beginning in 2021, to publicly disclose detailed workplace diversity data.
Employee-Led Groups Promote Inclusion
Learn how some of our Black teammates, including members of the Racial Equity Task Force, are shaping our company and advancing the world for the better. The task force includes teammates with a diverse mix of viewpoints and experiences who are helping identify innovative approaches to inclusion and racial equity.
Our employee-led business resource group Boeing Black Employees Association (BBEA) has also been going strong for three decades. BBEA’s 18 chapters help recruit and retain our diverse workforce; inspire inclusive leadership; strengthen strategic partnerships; and serve as cultural resources to help the company do business in a global, multicultural environment.
Aro Royston
Aro describes transitioning as “going into the unknown.” Read how Boeing helped every step of the way, from finding the best therapist to creating a transition plan and timelines.
Read Aro’s Story
Chasity Watson
Chasity leads recruitment for Boeing at historically Black colleges and universities. Learn how she is transforming Boeing and working to close diversity gaps to effect change.
Read Chasity’s Story
Kadon Kyte
Kadon is a Boeing human factors engineer who created a new standard for Boeing with his monopod sander. Learn how he began with a napkin to solve a serious issue.
Read Kadon’s Story
Sydney Hamilton
Sydney spends her days thinking about space. Learn why her most important work is on Earth, helping young women of color explore engineering careers where the sky’s the limit.
Read Sydney's Story
Alyce Jacobs
Alyce is the recipient of the 2018 Women of Color Technology All Star Award and the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Award, Science Spectrum Trailblazer.
Read Alyce's Story
Anena Metoyer
Often the first, or only, woman and African American on her team, Anena is passionate about helping recruit and retain talented, yet underrepresented, minority engineers.
Read Anena's Story
David Canada
David grew up in inner-city Baltimore in a single-parent household, where his mother continuously stressed the importance of education. David was drawn to engineering by age 10.
Read David's Story
Kelley France
Kelley works on the Environmental Control Systems team, leading and sharing her experience by mentoring and training new teammates.
Read Kelley's Story
Markeeva Morgan
Before joining Boeing, Markeeva led multidisciplinary teams for the United States Navy to ensure the continued readiness of the Atlantic submarine fleet.
Read Markeeva's Story
Bernadette Hamm
“I am honored to be part of the Racial Equity Taskforce and believe we can all make a difference by working together. It does not matter what you look like – people are people – and none of us are as good as all of us.”
Read Bernadette's Story
We Stand on the Shoulders of Generations Who Came Before Us
Black employees have been a critical driver of our success and innovation for over 80 years.
Driving Racial Equity and Social Change by Supporting Organizations Where We Live and Work
We know that being a truly equitable, diverse and inclusive company requires a commitment not only to our team members but also to our communities across the globe.
Through our collective actions and investments, we are building on Boeing's long-standing commitment to supporting those in underserved and marginalized communities — with a particular focus on education equality in the United States.
Committing to racial equity is an investment in our future
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Investments
Over the past five years, Boeing has invested more than $120 million to support programs that helped educate, mentor and develop men and women from minority communities.
Moving forward, Boeing will commit a minimum of $25 million in programs and partnerships that will create a range of opportunities for racial minorities and underserved communities.
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Partnerships
Our 2020 investments totaling more than $15 million helped fund organizations such as Equal Justice Initiative, United Negro College Fund, DC College Access Program, The Mission Continues and the Chicago Urban League. These organizations are focused on a range of solutions to address racial inequity.
Additional information on the meaningful work is highlighted in the Partner Spotlight below.
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Employee Engagement
In 2020, Boeing employees committed more than $240,000 (including company match) and nearly 1,000 volunteer hours to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and other nonprofit organizations working to advance racial equity, including the ACLU, NAACP and Urban League.
This builds on our employees’ overall commitment to community, with continued focus on racial equity and social justice.
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Talent Pipeline
We are building a robust and diversified talent pipeline into Boeing through partnerships with HBCUs and our work with External Technical Affiliates, including the National Society of Black Engineers and Women of Color STEM.
For more than a decade, Boeing has engaged in strategic partnerships and invested over $6 million with the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy and the United States Air Force Academy to support the development of leaders with character and engineering excellence. A key priority for our collaboration is focused on building a diverse talent pipeline through STEM outreach and engagement.
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Institute on Civility
In 2020, Boeing entered into a $1.5 million partnership with Allen University — an HBCU — to establish the Boeing Institute on Civility.
The institute will serve as a national hub for teaching and provide programming aimed at advancing civil discourse in America and around the globe.
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National Museum of African American History and Culture
Boeing is a founding donor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Our cornerstone donation of $5 million helped support the design and construction of the museum.
In observance of Black History Month in 2021, over 100 Boeing employees volunteered more than 300 hours with the museum to help transcribe 1.5 million files from the Freedmen’s Bureau, which helped formerly enslaved people make the transition from slavery to freedom and citizenship.
Stand United Collection
Our Boeing Black Employees Association helped design the Stand United collection, which represents our commitment to global diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice. Designed as a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, the modern-day T-7A Red Hawk aircraft they inspired is featured in the collection.
“The launch of this collection is hands-down one of the best things I’ve been able to be a part of at Boeing.” —Kara Washington
