Surviving In Washington Shores With Wal-Mart

I have written several articles questioning the sanity of putting a Wal-Mart in our Washington Shores neighborhood. I have received lots of positive feedback on Face Book and elsewhere. Some people think that I am in opposition to Wal-Mart. No, I am in opposition to Wal-Mart’s actual practices not their policies. There is a difference between what Wal-Mart’s executives say and what they actually do. When Sam Walton opened Wal-Mart, he had a clear vision of what he wanted. By no means was he perfect in his practices, but his upbringing and his roots made him fair. He gave Wal-Mart good foundation roots to grow on.

In 1985, amid anxiety about trade deficits and the loss of American manufacturing jobs, Walton launched a “Made in America” campaign that committed Wal-Mart to buying American-made products if suppliers could get within 5 percent of the price of a foreign competitor. This may have compromised the bottom line in the short term, but Walton understood the long-term benefit of convincing employees and customers that the company had a conscience as well as a calculator. He also made sure to give his staff a stake in the company. In 1971, he introduced a profit-sharing plan that allowed employees to put a certain percentage of their wages towards the purchase of subsidized Wal-Mart stock.

There are some leaders in our community that I have tremendous respect for. They see a bad situation for a person or family and in that instance, they visualize what can be. Then with their own inner strength and faith, they set out to change things for the good of not only that person, but for a group of people. Bishop Wiggins is such a person. His dad was a pastor. He has good roots, a good foundation. The way that he and his group have changed parts of Washington Shores is truly amazing to me.

Here is “The Transformation Vision” (From The Hope Church website) “In what might be characterized as a slow motion reversal, the Washington Shores community has been steadily undergoing an intentional transformation over the last 10 years. Bishop Allen T. D. Wiggins, Senior Pastor of The Hope Church, has been at the forefront of an effort to create positive change within the Greater Washington Shores community. Ever since witnessing a life altering experience – the Bishop encountered a community family living in substandard housing and squalor – his ministry and partnering organizations have been compelled by a vision “to change the community by meeting the needs of the total man.” This transformation vision embraces the spiritual, educational, health, wellness, economic development, housing and social needs of the community.”

I was asked to be a guest on The Don Miller Radio Show on Tuesday 04/17/12. Demica Paige, the producer of the show said that the show would be about the article that I had written concerning my opposition to Wal-Mart coming to our neighborhood. I explained my feelings about Wal-Mart’s policies and practices and then declined the invitation. Bishop Wiggins was a guest and they did discussed my article. I recorded the program and interjected my true comments. You can listen to Don Miller, Bishop Wiggins and others explain their opinion here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBRYaquGsI

I know that Wal-Mart has good intentions for the community and for their stockholders. They just seemed to have lost focus. I hope that when they come to Washington Shores, they will put their policy into practice. They have a good foundation and good roots, just like Bishop Wiggins.