Walmart will stop selling “All Lives Matter” merchandise on its website, noting that it is emphasizing blacks and other people of color whose lives are being “impacted by ongoing racial injustice.”
The country’s largest retailer is removing items sold by third-party vendors “indefinitely,” after listening to some employees and customers who were concerned about the meaning behind the merchandise.
“We fundamentally believe that all lives are important and that each person deserves respect,” Walmart said in a statement. “However, by listening, we come to understand that some, but not all, people use the phrase ‘All lives. Matter in today’s environment intentionally downplayed the painful reality of racial inequality.”
Walmart’s move is the latest in a series of actions taken by companies, artists, sports leagues, and lawmakers as the nation faces systemic racism in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other African-American men and women killed by police. . .
Last week, Walmart said it would no longer display the Mississippi state flag, which features a Confederate emblem, in its stores. The Mississippi state legislature voted last weekend to remove that symbol.
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Walmart will continue to allow the sale of other “Lives Matter” merchandise, but with increased scrutiny to ensure that those items comply with its rules and conditions.
Follow Charisse Jones on Twitter @charissejones
