HERNANDO, Miss. (AP) — Charles Barkley has donated $250,000 toward educating Mississippi and Alabama high school students about African-American history.
The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, Tennessee reported last month the basketball Hall of Famer and TV analyst’s donation to the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi will help fund a digital course on African-Americans’ contributions to public service, science, art and sports.
Barkley says in a statement every child in his home state should have an opportunity to know their history. The Alabama-native says he was born during the civil rights era and has gratitude for Medgar Evers, Congressman John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr.