Walgreens’s Alethia Jackson Discusses The State of Supplier Diversity And How More Black Brands Are Being Seen On The Shelves

The history of supplier diversity in the United States reaches back to the time immediately following the Detroit race riots of 1968, when General Motors launched one of the first programs of its kind. Over the years, more companies have deployed the same types of initiatives. Most recently the social uprising following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 ushered in a flood of corporate interest to amplify diversity in a way consumers hadn’t seen at such volume before.

Among them was Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the global drugstore leader that launched its sweeping diversity supplier initiative “to increase sourcing from suppliers that are least 51 percent owned, operated, and managed by individuals who are disadvantaged, disabled, military veterans, LGBTQ+, minorities, and/or women.”

Per a news release, WBA set a spending target of $500 million with diverse direct suppliers. They surpassed the goal by more than $20 million. For Alethia Jackson this is good, but not enough.

“It’s really about exceeding those metrics and continuing to make sure the products on shelves are really reflective of the customers we have,” Jackson said. She is the new Senior Vice President of ESG and Chief DEI Officer for the brand. Jackson assumed on October 1 after heading up federal government relations for Walgreens for nearly three years.

Jackson joined Walgreens 11 years ago and said she’s proud to have grown with the organization for the better part of more than a decade because of its commitment to diversity from the inside out.

“I get to work at a company where I have an African American female CEO of a global enterprise,” Jackson told ESSENCE. “And so I think that too is great in the work we’re able to do.”

Black-owned companies like Black Girl Sunscreen and Mielle Organics are just a few of the brands that have been bolstered within the WBA Supplier Diversity initiative.

“Getting our products into Walgreens was both a dream of mine and a strategic goal for the company,” said Monique Rodriguez, Mielle owner and CEO in a news release. “We knew Walgreens represented an important opportunity to expand access for the Mielle brand, but we had a plan to do it only when the time was right. It wasn’t until our customers started voicing their wishes to see Mielle products on Walgreens shelves that we made a move.”

Jackson said that looking ahead, she’s most excited about continuing to grow diversity efforts and spotlight Black-owned that probably would’ve been overlooked otherwise.

“I’m so proud to be a part of an organization that truly prioritizes representation and bolsters founders who bring their authentic selves through into their products,” Jackson. “And we’re fortunate enough to help their consumers more easily access the very items that they see themselves in.”