Former NBA star Charles Barkley has committed to donating funds to support young Black girls at St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans and his alma mater, Auburn University, to help them achieve their potential.
As reported by AL.com, the “Inside the NBA” host has pledged $1 million to St. Mary’s Academy after watching a “60 Minutes” segment featuring two of the school’s former students. The program highlighted Calcea Johnson and Ne’Kiya Jackson, who used trigonometry to prove the Pythagorean Theorem, a feat previously thought impossible.
“We teach young women to serve, empower themselves, and engage with their community. We nurture their spiritual and intellectual growth, encouraging them to be good people who give to one another,” said Pamela Rogers, principal at St. Mary’s Academy.
“These beautiful Black women, man, they’re just the high achievers,” Barkley said in a conversation Monday. “A lot is demanded of everybody at the school—high excellence. And these two young Black women did something in mathematics that was incredible. It just inspired me.”
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