Boycott of Target over DEI cuts still active, local organizers say
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Organizers of the efforts to boycott Target Corporation say that the boycott that began in in February 2025 has not ended.
This comes after Jamal Bryant, pastor of a prominent metro Atlanta megachurch, said Wednesday the campaign was "officially concluding.”
But Minneapolis organizers that include Dr. Nekima Levy Armstrong, Monique Cullars-Doty and Jaylani Hussein said the Atlanta-based pastor, who previously led what he called a 40-day fast, does not speak for the movement. They also say that while other efforts have garnered national attention, the Target boycott originated in Minnesota.
"We stood for us and with the community,” Levy Armstrong said at a news conference Wednesday. “We speak for us, and we will never sell out our community for crumbs or a seat at Target's corrupt table. So we are asking people continue to double down and hold target accountable. The boycott continues."
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Racial justice group leaders called for a national boycott of Target last year after the retailer announced that it would end its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and investments. The initiatives include a program it established aimed at helping Black employees build meaningful careers, improving the experience of Black shoppers and promoting Black-owned businesses, following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
Hussein said the retailer has not backtracked on those decisions.
“What we have just learned today is that Target has said they have not made a single concession,” said Hussein. “They have not made a single demand or change to their policies, and they are staying the course on their plan to continue to deny diversity and equity inclusion in this company.”
In an interview with the Associated Press on March 3, Target CEO Michael Fiddelke acknowledged the boycotts have had an impact on Target’s declining sales.
“It was one of the things that impacted our sales,” said Fiddelke. “And so we know we’ve got trust to win back with guests, and we’ll be focused on doing it. There's no easy button to win back trust, but we’ll do the work.”
