Loretta Lynch to lead racial equity audit at Amazon

Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch will lead Amazon’s racial equity audit of its close to 1 million hourly employees, according to a securities filing made by the retail giant.

Lynch — now a partner at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP — and other attorneys at the firm will conduct a racial equity audit of the retail giant, which will focus on evaluating “any disparate racial impacts on our nearly one million U.S. hourly employees resulting from our policies, programs, and practices,” according to the filing. 

“We serve diverse customers, operate in diverse communities, and rely on a diverse workforce. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are cornerstones of our continued success and critical components of our culture,” the company said in its filing.

Amazon noted once the audit is completed, it will release those results to the public. 

Amazon also noted that it has previously taken steps to address racial equity and diversity concerns, including publishing information on their race and gender representation annually and including information on pay with race, ethnicity and gender breakdowns. 

The company also cited efforts by its senior leadership team, started in 2020, where they “dove deep into the mechanisms we use to hire, develop, and promote employees, so that we can better identify opportunities to ensure equitable access for all,” according to the securities filing.

Amazon has become the latest company to conduct a racial equity audit into its workforce, similar to other companies like Tyson Foods and Citigroup, CNBC noted.

But the development comes amid a push from the company’s shareholders, who want an independent probe launched into racial inequities and Amazon’s policies, the news outlet reported.

While a shareholders’ proposal noted that the retail giant had made some progress in addressing racial justice and equity, they added that “Amazon faces controversies, some significant, that pose various risks and raise questions related to the company’s overall strategy and the company’s alignment with its public statements,” according to CNBC.