Justice Champion Spotlight: Walmart.org and Dr Marvin Carr
What is the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity?
As part of Walmart’s larger efforts to address the drivers of systemic racism in society and accelerate change, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation committed $100 million over five years through Walmart.org's Center for Racial Equity. The center’s initiatives fund research, advocacy, innovation of practices and tools, stakeholder convening and non-profit capacity building. The center particularly focuses on eradicating systematic disparities experienced by Black and African American communities. The center seeks to complement and extend the societal impact of Walmart business initiatives to advance racial equity within four focus areas: finance, health, education and criminal justice. The work of the center extends the overarching philanthropic works of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation and seeks to embed equity into all investment portfolios.
Why is it important for businesses to help create a fairer and more equitable society?
Shared value—addressing societal issues in ways that create value for our business and stakeholders—lies at the heart of Walmart’s enterprise strategy, our approach to our philanthropy and larger ESG focus. We believe we maximize long-term value for shareholders by serving our stakeholders: delivering value to our customers, creating economic opportunity for associates and suppliers, strengthening local communities and enhancing the environmental and social sustainability of our business and product supply chains. In other words, business exists to serve society: business strengthens society and at the same time serving society strengthens business.
What practical steps can companies and their leaders take to advance racial equity?
To influence and lead change, business should use their unique capabilities to invest resources and develop strategies to increase fairness, equity and justice in aspects of everyday life.
For example, we have found the natural overlaps between Walmart’s core business and the root cause of racial disparities in our societal systems and through our Shared Value Networks, we are taking action to influence them in a positive direction, consistent with our human values of decency and equity. For instance:
In finance, we have identified overlaps in areas like financial empowerment for associates and customers, increasing opportunities for diverse-owned businesses and expanding access to financial services for the communities Walmart serves.
In health, we are focused on advancing racial equity in healthcare through our health and wellness offerings, encompassing infant and maternal health, cardiometabolic syndrome and food and nutrition.
In education, we focus on equitable advancement through training and reskilling, support for post-secondary completion through collaboration with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as well as leveraging programs like Walmart’s Live Better University benefit.
In criminal justice, we aim to reduce incarceration and recidivism through changes in internal ways of working, collaboration with community-based organizations and engagement on local, state and national issue.
What is Unlock Potential? How does it work?
More than 4.4 million young Americans are neither in school or employed — and far more likely to suffer negative outcomes like poverty and imprisonment. By providing them with meaningful career opportunities, we can help prevent those outcomes — while driving economic mobility, advancing racial equity, breaking cycles of incarceration and creating the corporate leaders of tomorrow. Unlock Potential (UP) is a groundbreaking employment program that looks to confront economic immobility at the source, by helping employers use hiring and other resources help at-risk young people access employment opportunities. Over the course of 18 months, UP will bring together major employers to use hiring to disrupt the prison pipeline and empower at-risk young people through meaningful, long-term career opportunities.
What does it mean to be a justice engaged business?
At Walmart, we aim to connect people with opportunities that help them and the communities we live and serve in to thrive. This issue is not only about reducing incarceration or violence, but also about unlocking and empowering untapped potential in such a way that we deflect those who might participate in criminal activities instead toward opportunity. As a retailer, Walmart relies on people. When people—potential talent, customers, community members—are involved in the criminal justice system, it hurts the whole community.
If you could send a message to every CEO in the United States, what would it be?
Lean into the “S” of your ESG strategy. It can be difficult to measure the “social” impacts a company makes particularly because many don’t match it with business value.
When you aren't working, what do you enjoy doing?
When I’m not working, find me on a beach or hanging out with my friends. I have a really amazing friend circle and we commit to spending time with each other as we get older and busier.
What's a fact about you that would surprise people?
I am a professional trained opera singer. I have performed in some of the world’s most amazing Opera Houses and Music Halls. Sydney. The Prague Opera House. The Met. Carnegie Hall.
