Qatar Airways and Brooklyn Nets Celebrate Black History Month
To tip off the month, Qatar Airways hosted students and former Tuskegee
Airman for a series of events
On Monday, Qatar Airways, official airline partner of the Brooklyn Nets, celebrated Black History Month
by honoring the historical achievements of African Americans during the Nets game at Barclays Center.
The luxury airline invited Tuskegee Airman Willie Jackson, local community organization, United Youth
Aviators, and students and alumni from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to enjoy a
series of activities throughout the evening.
To tip off the night, Qatar Airways presented former Tuskegee Airman and President of the 369th
Regiment Sergeant (ret.) Willie Jackson, with a special game ball delivery. The evening also included an
on-court, around the world competition with an HBCU alumni, for the opportunity to win roundtrip tickets
to incredible Qatar Airways destinations. Additionally, the airline highlighted stories of seven Black
aviation pioneers throughout the arena during the night and distributed Black History Month themed rally
towels to the first 5,000 fans in attendance.
“Black History Month is a time of reflection and an important reminder of the work we have left to do,”
says Senior Vice President of the Americas Eric Odone. “At Qatar Airways, we are fortunate to have
opportunities to engage with the community, and we’re grateful that our partnership with the Brooklyn
Nets and Barclays Center allows us to take these educational commitments further.”
Leading up to Black History Month, in partnership with Qatar Airways, Nets player Nic Claxton visited the
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum along with 20 children from United Youth Aviators. United Youth
Aviators is a specially-curated program that offers students from New York City the opportunity to learn
about aviation from an early age and ultimately how to fly a plane. Representatives from Qatar Airways
accompanied the group on their private tour around the museum, where they experienced the rich
aviation history and cultural significance.
The Doha-based airline also hosted the group from United Youth Aviators in a private suite at the Nets
game on February 3 where they participated in a Q&A session with Willie Jackson on his experience with
the Tuskegee Airmen. The children were also invited to stand on-court with Nets players during the
national anthem.
The month-long celebration of African American history is part of Qatar Airways’ corporate social
responsibility efforts aimed at building stronger communities and providing youth with meaningful
educational opportunities.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World
Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best
Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class
experience, Qsuite. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’
title, which is recognized as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, a record five times.
Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of more than 250 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport
(HIA), to more than 160 destinations worldwide. The world’s fastest-growing airline added several new
destinations to its network last year, including Rabat, Morocco; Izmir, Turkey; Malta; Davao, Philippines;
Lisbon, Portugal; Mogadishu, Somalia; Langkawi, Malaysia; and Gaborone, Botswana. The airline will
add Santorini, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Osaka, Japan; Nur-Sultan and Almaty, Kazakhstan; Cebu,
Philippines; Accra, Ghana; Trabzon, Turkey; Lyon, France; Luanda, Angola; and Siem Reap, Cambodia,
to its extensive route network in 2020.
