1.22.2003 ET

(CSRwire) CHICAGO, IL - McDonald's U.S.A. received the Rainbow PUSH Coalition's 2003 PUSH-Excel Corporate Partner Award for outstanding contributions to African American youth at the organization's 13th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Education Fund-Raiser at the Chicago Hilton and Towers Hotel.


PUSH founder, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, cited several factors in selecting McDonald's for this award - including McDonald's long-standing commitment to the African American community, employing and training African-American youth, and the diversity of its national suppliers and Owner/Operators of McDonald's U.S. restaurants.

"For years, McDonald's has been a great corporate ally because they share the same vision of helping every young person succeed," said Rev. Jackson. "We truly value their partnership and praise them for their leadership."

In accepting the award, McDonald's U.S.A. president, Mike Roberts, pointed to the company's heritage of diversity. "Our founder, Ray Kroc, used to say 'None of us is as good as all of us.' Today - that spirit is integral to everything McDonald's does - and we believe it keeps us relevant to our customers and to our employees."

McDonald's Corporation has been recognized by the National Urban League, National Black Caucus of State Legislators, endorsed by Fortune Magazine as one of the "Top 50 Places for Minorities to Work" and recognized by Working Mother Magazine as one of America's Top 10 employers for diversity.

The Rainbow Push Coalition is a progressive organization fighting for social change. The National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition (RPC) is a multiracial, multi-issue, international membership organization founded by Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. The group, with its national headquarters in Chicago and a bureau in Washington, D.C., is committed to moving the nation and the world toward social, racial and economic justice.

McDonald's is the world's leading food service retailer with more than 30,000 restaurants around the world serving 46 million customers each day.

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