Tell Walgreens: Stop racism in your stores

Walgreens has refused to take action after a Black woman was assaulted by a white employee on May 30, 2020, while attempting to enter the company's store in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle.

The woman, a respected Seattle-area educator, had decided to make a quick trip to Walgreens to purchase face masks in preparation for her school’s graduation.

When she arrived at the store, the automatic doors were turned off and a white employee standing at the entrance abruptly shoved her backwards, while allowing a white woman to exit. When the woman challenged this employee he told her the store was closing early. She told him that he could have simply said so.

When the woman reached out to Walgreens’ regional leadership to advocate for herself and the rights of all BIPOC, the district manager simply advised her to shop during hours when the employee in question is not working. The company continues to refuse to address her safety and civil rights.

This is unacceptable

The racist energy that propelled this assault is the same energy that killed Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Walgreens must address this. As a national retailer, Walgreens has a responsibility to make this right and set a precedent for what it means to acknowledge harm, be accountable, and take steps to work with the victim and community to repair racialized harm.

Tell Walgreens to Fix their Racism Problem. Use this form to send an email to Walgreens District Manager Markus Bjornerem and Employee Relations Specialist Henderson Banks.
We are asking the company to take the following steps:
  • Report the findings of their investigation to the victim.
  • Report to the victim how Walgreens is going to make it right with her.
  • Report to the victim and the community how she can be assured she will not have to encounter that employee again if she chooses to shop at Walgreens.
  • Report publicly how Walgreens is going to address and incorporate anti-racism into employee training and personnel policies going forward.
  • Report publicly what Walgreens is doing to invest in the lives of its BIPOC employees.
  • Report publicly how Walgreens is going to invest in the Northgate and Maple Leaf community to improve the quality of life for those that identify as BIPOC.
  • Report publicly how Walgreens is addressing racism at the national level.
We will refuse to patronize Walgreens until the company thoroughly and sufficiently addresses this issue.