REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 27, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a donation of more than $70,000 in software that will benefit students in Thurston County and the Seattle school district. The donation of 1,030 copies of Microsoft Ò Encarta Ò Africana 2000 will be distributed to school libraries and classrooms through the Alliance for Education and the African American Alliance of Thurston County. Together, Thurston County schools and the Seattle school district serve approximately 81,000 students.
“The donation of this software to further enhance the cultural education of Seattle Public School students is an important gift,”
said Robin Pasquarella, president of the Alliance for Education.
“The Encarta Africana software educates children of all backgrounds about the history of African Americans, but also reaffirms the importance of this history in African-American children.”
The Alliance for Education will be distributing more than 500 copies of the CD-ROM in the Seattle school district.
The Encarta Africana 2000 multimedia encyclopedia is a powerful resource that helps users understand the history of people of African descent through audio, video and the written word. Content in Encarta Africana 2000 spans the globe from Africa to the Americas, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia, cataloging the history of people of African origins from 4 million BCE (Before the Common Era) to the present.
“This is an excellent opportunity to get Encarta Africana, a product that is rich in all the disciplines, in front of a maximum number of students. It’s great to see Microsoft making a donation which provides such a comprehensive resource that is interesting to students from all backgrounds,”
said Thelma Jackson, president of the African American Alliance of Thurston County. The Alliance is the recipient of 500 copies of Encarta Africana and is working to ensure that all schools in Thurston County receive copies of the CD-ROM.
“Microsoft is dedicated to enhancing learning opportunities and resources for students of all ages and in all walks of life,”
said John Litten, director of Youth and Learning at Microsoft.
“Through innovative uses of technology, such as Encarta Africana, today’s students have the unique opportunity to experience history and other cultures firsthand.”
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft and Encarta are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
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