Walmart Didn’t Pledge 100 Million to BLM

Some Facebook users have been sharing information that Walmart has pledged $100 million to the Black Lives Matter movement. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the states and vigilantes. While Facebook has flagged some of these posts and related attachments as misinformation, the post has been shared approximately 10,000 times.

Misbar has discovered that on June 5, 2020, Walmart’s CEO Doug McMillon announced that Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committing $100 million to create a new center on racial equity. According to McMillon, “Through this $100 million commitment, the center will support philanthropic initiatives that align with four key areas: the nation’s financial, healthcare, education, and criminal justice systems.” The goal of the center will be to help advance economic opportunity and healthier living.

Walmart adopted a human rights statement adopted by the Walmart Board of Directors in 2018 stating that “Walmart respects human rights; our work is guided by our values.” According to CEO McMillon, in order to influence and lead change, “We are going to use the power of Walmart to invest resources and develop strategies to increase fairness, equity, and justice in aspects of everyday life.” Nowhere does Walmart mention donating to Black Lives Matter. Instead, the retailer is appointing teams to focus on improving Walmart’s own business practices in the areas of finance, health care, education, and criminal justice.