Legendary basketball player Charles Barkley made good on his promise to donate $1 million to a school in New Orleans in response to two students at the school who made a significant mathematical discovery.
On Friday, Aug. 30, Barkley sent his first payment of $100,000 to St. Mary’s Academy, an all-girls high school in eastern New Orleans, fulfilling a promise he made to the school in May after seeing a story on “60 Minutes.”
That story was about two students at the 157-year-old Catholic school who proved the ancient Pythagorean Theorem using trigonometry and without using circular logic, once thought to be impossible by mathematicians. The two students, Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson were praised by their principal, Pamela Rogers, who said the school teaches young women values of service, empowerment, community, spiritual growth, intellectual growth, and “to be good people” who “give to one another.” They presented their findings in 2023 to the American Mathematical Society at its Annual Southeastern Conference.
Barkley was moved by the “60 Minutes” segment and said the “beautiful black women” were “high achievers” and that what they did “was incredible.” He said it inspired him and he wants “to make sure” the women of Auburn know that he has “a lot of love and appreciation for them.”
Although it took a few months for Barkley to start keeping his word, he made the first payment and Rogers said the school was “forever grateful” for the gift and support for St. Mary’s students. The principal said the “transformative gift” will help students excel and achieve their dreams as they attend the school and that Barkley’s generosity supports their mission and commitment “to educating young people.”
In a statement from the Charles Barkley Foundation, the basketball player said he was “thrilled to support” the school” and that one of his main focuses is helping to transform future generations through “education and opportunities.” Barkley’s representative said he is passionate about the academy’s mission and how the school is shaping “young girls in New Orleans.”
Jackson and Johnson have both since graduated from the academy and are now pursuing higher education degrees, one in environmental engineering and the other in pharmacy.
