Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee during An Examination of Facebook and Its Impact on the Financial Services and Housing Sectors hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, on Oct. 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
Over the next three years, Facebook expects to reach 1 million members of the black community and 1 million members of the Latinx community in the United States through a program that provides free training in the digital skills they need.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Facebook is committing an additional 200 million U.S. dollars to support black-owned businesses and organizations, its Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg announced on Thursday.
The move, as part of a broader 1.1 billion dollars investment in black and diverse suppliers and communities, includes 25 million dollars in support of black content creators and 75 million dollars in grants of cash and ad credits, to support black-owned businesses and non-profits that serve the black community.
Over the next three years, Facebook also expects to reach 1 million members of the black community and 1 million members of the Latinx community in the United States through a program called "Elevate" that provides free training in the digital skills they need.
"We're also creating a new space in the Facebook app called Lift Black Voices and we're building a more diverse and inclusive workforce so we can better support communities around the world," Sandberg said, vowing that the company will continue to help amplify the voices of black creators, artists, activists and businesses in Facebook and Instagram apps.
The COO reaffirmed that Facebook has committed to having 50 percent of its workforce coming from underrepresented communities by the end of 2023.
"We're working to double our number of Black and Latinx employees in the same timeframe. And over the next five years, we're committing to having 30 percent more people of color, including 30 percent more Black people, in leadership positions," she noted, adding that the company will continue its ongoing efforts to increase the representation of women in leadership too. ■
