Target has decided to phase out its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, therefore prominent pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in metro Atlanta is spearheading a 40-day boycott. Bryant is urging 100,000 people to sign a petition and stop shopping at Target to protest what he sees as the company’s betrayal of its promises to Black customers and businesses.
The Minneapolis-based Target, where George Floyd was killed in 2020, had promised to invest $2 billion in Blackwould-owned companies. Nonetheless, Bryant denounced the business’s declaration on January 24 that it would discontinue its DEI programs and renounce that financial pledge at the same time.
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Bryant stated while appearing on Let It Be Known News on the Black Press, “After the murder of George Floyd, they made a $2 billion commitment to invest in Black businesses.” He added, “That commitment was due in December 2025. When they pulled out of the DEI agreement in January, they also canceled that $2 billion commitment.” According to Bryant, Target is the obvious first target of this economic protest because of its influence in the Black consumer market.
“Black people spend $12 million a day at Target,” he noted. “Because of how many dollars are spent there and the absence of commitment to our community, we are focusing on Target first.” The fast, which is scheduled to fall during Lent, aims to use Black economic power to make businesses responsible. The pastor said that the movement’s momentum was demonstrated by the fact that 50,000 individuals had joined the campaign at targetfast.org in just one week.
In addition to restoring DEI, Bryant requests. He noted, “White women are the number one beneficiaries of DEI.” Adding, “What I am asking for is a quarter of a billion dollars to be invested in Black banks so that our Black businesses can scale. Target has 10 distribution centers near HBCUs, and I’m asking them to partner with the business departments of these institutions.”
The Black Press of America is represented by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which has responded to the corporate backlash against DEI pledges with a nationwide public education and selective purchasing campaign. “We are the trusted voice of Black America, and we will not be silent or nonresponsive to the rapid rise of renewed Jim Crow racist policies in corporate America,” stated Bobby R. Henry Sr., chairman of the NNPA.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of NNPA, reaffirmed the necessity of financial restructuring. “Black Americans spend $2 trillion annually. We must evaluate and realign to question why we continue to spend our money with companies that do not respect us. These contradictions will not go unchallenged.”
To provide customers with choices, Bryant has teamed up with Ron Busby, the president and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, to produce a database of 300,000 Black-owned companies. “You can’t tell people what not to do without showing them what to do,” Bryant said.
“If you’re not going to Target or Walmart but need essentials like toilet paper, soap, or detergent, we’ll show you where to get them and reinvest in Black businesses.”
He emphasized that the boycott’s effects are already being felt. Bryant remarked, “Since Black people have been boycotting Target, the stock has dropped by $11.” He stated, “Stockholders are now suing Target because of the adverse impact this boycott has had on their stock.” “This is just phase one.” He added, “After the 40 days, we’ll figure out who’s next. But we have to go after Target first. Amazon and others come right after. “America has shown us time and time again: if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.”
