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FedEx commits $5 million to four historically Black colleges

Schools in Tennessee and Mississippi to receive funds

FedEx commits $5 million to HBCUs (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) said Wednesday that it will donate $5 million to four historically Black colleges in Tennessee and Mississippi: Tennessee State University and LeMoyne-Owen College in Tennessee, and Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University in Mississippi.

The collaborative initiative is designed to help prepare students at each school for employment opportunities once they graduate, FedEx said. A portion of the multiyear commitment will be used to offer relief to students, faculty and staff at each school who have suffered adverse economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Memphis, Tennessee-based company said.

FedEx and the four schools have long-standing relationships. The company said it has endowed scholarships at Jackson State, Tennessee State and LeMoyne-Owen and has helped establish a career readiness program at Jackson State, as well as leadership summits in support of the Southern Heritage Classic for Tennessee State and Jackson State students.

In a statement, Judy Edge, FedEx’s corporate vice president of human resources, said the company hopes the investment “will keep more students in school” during the ongoing health and financial uncertainties and that it will “provide future access to leadership, educational and employment opportunities.”


The announcement was made as part of Black History Month, which is celebrated every February.

Mark Solomon

Formerly the Executive Editor at DC Velocity, Mark Solomon joined FreightWaves as Managing Editor of Freight Markets. Solomon began his journalistic career in 1982 at Traffic World magazine, ran his own public relations firm (Media Based Solutions) from 1994 to 2008, and has been at DC Velocity since then. Over the course of his career, Solomon has covered nearly the whole gamut of the transportation and logistics industry, including trucking, railroads, maritime, 3PLs, and regulatory issues. Solomon witnessed and narrated the rise of Amazon and XPO Logistics and the shift of the U.S. Postal Service from a mail-focused service to parcel, as well as the exponential, e-commerce-driven growth of warehouse square footage and omnichannel fulfillment.