Ex-UN Ambassador’s Wal-Mart Role Criticized

More than 50 civil rights and religious leaders criticized former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young for leading a group that promotes Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s contributions to local communities.

“We are united in our concern about a new organization, which we believe serves no other purpose other than to act as a front for Wal-Mart and its unethical business practices,” said a letter signed by 58 religious leaders and organizations.

Young, a former Atlanta mayor and civil rights leader, serves as national steering committee chairman of Working Families for Wal-Mart. The group, which receives the bulk of its funding from Wal-Mart, was formed in December to help parry attacks by religious, community and labor leaders on the world’s largest retailer for its working conditions.