Delta Air Lines Commits $1 Million to Atlanta's National Center for Civil and Human Rights

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Oct 22, 2010, 12:30 ET

ATLANTA, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has pledged $1 million to support the National Center for Civil and Human Rights' current programming and planned facility in downtown Atlanta.

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"The mission of The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, which is to tell the compelling story of the ongoing quest for civil and human rights worldwide, is a vital one for our community," said Richard Anderson, chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines. "Our support for the Center fits perfectly with Delta's focus on directing our sponsorship dollars in Atlanta and elsewhere toward charitable organizations."

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, scheduled to break ground in late 2011 and open in 2013, will feature permanent collections, timely exhibitions and interactive education opportunities to engage visitors in the historical and current struggle to secure and express human rights. The Center will be located in Atlanta's Pemberton Place adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park, The New World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium.

The Center's Executive Director Doug Shipman said of Delta's commitment, "The National Center for Civil and Human Rights depends on individual and corporate citizens seeing the value of an institution dedicated to the ongoing education and conversation surrounding human rights. In keeping with the company's legacy of corporate social responsibility, Delta Air Lines has made a generous show of support for our work, and their gift brings us closer to groundbreaking."

Delta, which is headquartered in Atlanta and operates its largest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, focuses on improving the communities it serves by advancing global diversity, improving global wellness and the environment, and promoting arts and culture. This year, Delta was the recipient of the Corporation of the Year Award from the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries. With 75,000 employees worldwide and 25,000 employees based in Atlanta, Delta supports a wide variety of non-profit organizations through a combination of corporate philanthropy and employee giving.

With this gift, Delta Air Lines joins other prominent corporate supporters of the Center such as The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot Foundation, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., and The UPS Foundation.

About the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

With a scheduled opening in 2013, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights will display The Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection (King Papers), the award-winning Without Sanctuary lynching exhibit and serve as a hub for ongoing dialogue, attracting world-renowned speakers and artists who work on a variety of human rights topics. Equipped with broadcast capabilities and event space, the Center will serve as gathering space and host for civil and human rights conversations among scholars, organizations and the public, capturing the ideas exchanged at those gatherings to share with a broad global audience using digital formats. For more information, please visit www.cchrpartnership.org.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 351 destinations in 64 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 75,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world's largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.