Walmart will spend $2 million to help encourage minority students to pursue internships on Capitol Hill, according to an announcement on Tuesday.
The money will go to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, increasing the Betonville, Ark.-based company’s total commitment to the two groups to more than $6 million over the last few years.
“At Walmart, our commitment to diversity and inclusion spreads beyond our stores and out into the communities where our associates and customers live. Through relationships with organizations like CHCI and CBCF that reflect the diversity of American society, we can open the door to help more young people build a career in public service and expand the pipeline of talent on Capitol Hill and beyond by providing our future leaders with the tools needed for success,” Vice President Julie Gehrki said in a statement.
[Opinion: Racism committed in the name of diversity]
The grants will be distributed to the CBCF and the CHC over three-years to help provide paid internships to Latino and black college students and young professionals. The money will also go towards housing costs, monthly stipends, and leadership training.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who sits on the CBCF board of directors, said the caucus has “successfully increased the number of scholars who have access to the intern-to-staffer pipeline” through Walmart’s grant.
“We value Walmart’s support of CHCI’s mission to address underrepresentation of Latinos on Capitol Hill by providing transformative experiences and the critical skills needed to embark on careers in public service,” CHCI Chairman Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said in a statement.
In its announcement, Walmart cited a study from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies that found minorities represent only 7.1 percent of the total Senate senior staff.
