Walmart’s Newest Initiatives Geared To Boost Education Opportunities For Black Americans

Hoping to pump up racial equity in education for Black Americans, Walmart and Walmart.org have launched new some new initiatives to help make that happen.

The nation’s largest retailer is taking such philanthropic actions that include:

• Uniting with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) – Morehouse College, North Carolina A&T State University and Spelman College. They will be join the slate of Walmart’s Live Better U (LBU) academic partners, in partnership with Guild Education. Through the the LBU program, Walmart pays 100% of college tuition and books. Roughly 1.5 million part-time and full-time Walmart and Sam’s Club employees in the U.S. are eligible for the program.
•  Walmart teaming with Jackson State University in Mississippi, pledging $2.4 million to focus on academic and career enrichment and financial support.
• Walmart, through the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity, investing $3 million in a set of grants helping to strengthen the traditional education system.

“These new partners further demonstrate our commitment to create a path for associates to learn, grow and discover their career journey,” Lorraine Stomski, senior vice president of learning and leadership at Walmart. “As we work to become an even more diverse employer, what better way to fill the pipeline of future talent than with our own associates.”

Over 300,000 of Walmart’s associates are Black and African Americans. According to a recent study, 18% of Walmart’s Live Better U participants are Black, and Black associates who participated in the Live Better U program at Walmart were 88% more likely to receive promotions than non-participants.

Walmart notes its latest  announcement builds on the $5 million Equity in Education initiative launched in late 2020.

The investment with the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity is aligned with a set of education grants as part of the $100 million commitment announced last year to address inequity across education, health, finance and criminal justice systems.  An initial focus of the center’s education philanthropic approach aims to strengthen the post-secondary education system for Black and African American students.

See more details and comments about the impact of the retailer’s efforts here.