02/08/2021
Citizens Joins with EVERFI to Present Inaugural Black History Month Challenge
Virtual essay competition inspires today’s students through stories about the Black experience in the U.S. and helps spark enduring conversations about race and equity
February 08, 2021 -- (Providence, Rhode Island) -- Citizens is partnering with leading social impact education innovator EVERFI to present the EVERFI Black History Month Challenge taking place throughout the month of February. The Black History Month Challenge is a first-of-its-kind national competition to help high school students across the U.S. understand the Black American experience through historical perspectives.
The month-long challenge, created by EVERFI, and supported by leading companies nationwide, features four digital lessons and a capstone essay contest in which students will share a plan for maintaining conversations about Black history year-round within their community. Three winners of the Black History Month Challenge will receive college scholarships totaling $20,000.
The Black History Month Challenge is designed to inspire students by telling stories about the Black experience in America; empower students through the counter-storytelling of Black perspectives across generations; elevate history as a lens to understand current events; and transform students’ perception of the world around them. Students will explore topics and events including Juneteenth, Affirmative Action, and the protests and marches for civil rights and equality. In the Black Business Titans lesson, students explore the history behind the racial wealth gap, and how Black entrepreneurs and businesspeople are overcoming challenges every day. In the lesson on Black Contributions to Medicine, students explore the roots of systemic racism in medical care and celebrate Black medical trailblazers historically and present day.
“Citizens is committed to social and economic equity by driving real and lasting change,” said Barbara Cottam, EVP and Head of Corporate Affairs at Citizens. “By promoting education and discussion through the Black History Month Challenge, we hope it will inspire dialogue and a greater understanding of race and social equity in our society.”
“Far too often, Black history is reduced to a handful of memorable moments and events, positioned as disjointed from American history, or revised in ways that are inaccurate,” said EVERFI Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Jesse Bridges. “In an effort to honor the Black experience and invite deeper exploration, the Black History Month Challenge was established to illuminate some of those “lesser-known” moments and facts in Black history, and to inspire enduring conversations about race and allyship among young people today.”
“We are proud to work with Black and Brown communities we serve by providing access to education that drives conversations on Black history all year round,” said Mike Sebring, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Citizens. “Our partnership with EverFi is a one example that highlights our approach across the organization to inspire change and further our efforts to increase inclusivity and break down systemic barriers.”
In addition to supporting the Black History Month Challenge, Citizens works with EVERFI to provide College Bound Citizens, a digital education program for high school juniors and seniors which aims to help empower students to make wise financial decisions when planning for post-secondary education.
Citizens is committed to harnessing the bank’s resources, expertise and the unique strengths of its culture to help drive real and lasting progress across the diverse communities it serves. Earlier this year, the company committed $10 million in grants and charitable support for immediate and longer-term initiatives aimed at supporting minority-owned small businesses, increasing awareness of racial disparities, and supporting underserved communities through technology, education and digital literacy initiatives. It also includes more than $500 million in incremental financing and capital for small businesses, housing, and other development in predominately minority communities.
To learn more about the EVERFI Black History Month Challenge, visit https://citizens.everfi-next.net/welcome/bhm.
About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $183.3 billion in assets as of December 31, 2020. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 2,700 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
About EVERFI, Inc.
EVERFI is an international technology company driving social change through education to address the most challenging issues affecting society ranging from financial wellness to prescription drug safety to workplace conduct and other critical topics. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is fueled by its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) community engagement platform and has reached more than 41 million learners globally. In 2020, the company was recognized as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company and was featured on Fortune Magazine’s Impact 20 list. Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EVERFI investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, as well as Advance, Rethink Education, Rethink Impact, The Rise Fund, and TPG Growth. To learn more about EVERFI and how you can #answerthecall please visit everfi.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter @EVERFI.
