Target boycott over DEI practices not finished, activists say, despite protest leader’s claim
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A group of Minnesota activists who started a boycott against Target after it walked back its diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring policies has insisted their protest is not over.
That comes after one of the movement’s leaders claimed that the opposition had ended.
The big-box retailer, based in the Gopher State, caused outrage in January 2025 for scaling back its minority-hiring commitments in response to President Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. The administration subsequently issued a series of executive orders aimed at eliminating “illegal DEI” within government agencies and the private sector.
Target justified the U-turn on promises made to the Black community in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 in order to keep pace with “the evolving external landscape,” according to USA Today.
That led local Black activists to demand shoppers bypass the company’s stores, inspiring a national movement in which the Rev. Jamal Harrison Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, Georgia, became a figurehead by launching a 40-day “Target Fast” last March to coincide with Lent.
Bryant made four demands of the retailer: that it honor its prior pledge to invest $2 billion in Black businesses, make $250 million in deposits to 23 Black-owned banks, open 10 retail training centers at historically Black colleges and universities, and restore its commitment to DEI.
Target has since appointed Michael Fiddelke as its new CEO, who met with Bryant and others this week.
The pastor emerged from those discussions and held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where he said he was satisfied with what Fiddelke had to say and that the boycott was now over.
“Thank you for praying with us, marching with us, and staying with us, and stay tuned for the next fight because this fight for us has now reached its conclusion,” Bryant said.
Elaborating, he told USA Today: “They have a program called Belonging, which gives access to everybody, not just for entry-level positions, but to be able to ascend into C-suites. It is essentially DEI as I read it. It is the exact same thing.”
Target expressed its satisfaction at the development and said in a statement that it was “more committed than ever to creating growth and opportunity for all.”
“We’re pleased to be moving forward, and we will continue showing up as trusted neighbors while delivering results for our team members, guests and the more than 2,000 communities in which we serve,” the company said. “Because when those communities thrive, so do we.”
The Independent has reached out to Target for additional comment.
However, the leaders of the original boycott were quick to distance themselves from Bryant, organising a press conference of their own outside of the company’s Minnesota headquarters on Wednesday.
“How can you call off a boycott focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and have no results to show for it?,” asked Nekima Levy Armstrong, a prominent Minnesota lawyer, social justice campaigner, and founder of the Racial Justice Network.
“That is a slap in the face for the people. But who’s standing here? The people who actually called the boycott. The people who were actually willing to hold this company accountable and are not willing to compromise with Target Corporation until they do the right thing by the people of Minnesota and the people across this nation… This Target boycott is not over.”
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-Minnesota, backed Armstrong’s position, saying of Target: “They have not made a single concession… They have not made a single change to their policies and they are staying the course on their plan to continue to deny diversity, equity and inclusion in this company.
“Don’t be fooled. The Target boycott continues. It continues because the demand has yet to be met.”
Fiddelke told the Associated Press earlier this month that he intends to spend billions of dollars this year to boost Target’s sales and restore its image as a fun place to shop.
Asked about the boycott, the CEO said, “As we went through last year, it was one of the things that impacted our sales. 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.”
Black Americans represent roughly $2 trillion in annual buying power, according to recent consumer market estimates cited by Axios, underscoring the peril retailers face by alienating such an important demographic.
