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While many companies have announced plans to roll back DEI policies in the past couple of months, fewer have paid a higher price than Target (TGT-2.03%). The Minneapolis-based retailer had been very vocal in support of DEI efforts after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020 and their pausing of efforts has caused a backlash.
Rev. Jamal Bryant, an Atlanta-based megachurch pastor, is leading the boycott, which comes just over a month after the company’s announcement. This decision has sparked criticism from customers and activists alike.
In an interview with CNN, Bryant urged consumers to “divest” from shopping at Target, accusing the retailer of “turning their back on our community.”
Rev. Bryant has started a website, Targetfast.org, to promote the idea of a 40-day fast to coincide with the Lenten season.
The website states, in part: “This Lent, we will begin a corporate fast, starting with Target, as a spiritual act of resistance. Just as Jesus overturned the tables in the temple, challenging the exploitation and hypocrisy of his day, we too must disrupt business as usual. Fasting is not just about what we abstain from—it is about what we embrace. By redirecting our resources toward businesses that uphold justice, we embody our commitment to God’s vision of equity and love in action.”
Target also was a target of the Peoples Union “economic blackout day” on Feb. 28, organized by a New York activist
Still, some Black-owned businesses that sell products at Target worry that the boycott will only hurt them.
“We don’t want these minority businesses to suffer or to be impacted negatively,” Black entrepreneur Melissa Butler told CNN.
—Francisco Velasquez contributed to this article