signalmankenneth
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I'm currently boycotting Target for rolling back their DEI program?!!
When Target announced on January 24 that it would scale back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments, customers reacted swiftly, upset that a company that had so loudly touted its diversity initiatives appeared to be backtracking.
For 10 consecutive weeks, foot traffic at Target stores has declined — down 9% year-over-year in February and 6.5% year-over-year in March, according to data from analytics firm Placer.ai. While Placer.ai notes a variety of factors were likely to blame, like weather and a drop in post-holiday spending, Rev. Jamal Bryant has driven another reason for a drop-off: a fast — from shopping.
Bryant, the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, spearheaded a 40-day “fast” from shopping at the big-box store during Lent (March 5 to April 17). The Target Fast boycott had more than 200,000 participants, he said.
Target is just one of the companies now walking a tightrope, balancing the demands of President Donald Trump to end diversity efforts with what customers might want from the corporations they do business with.
“They hear me. The cash register hears me,” Bryant told CNN. “Power concedes nothing without a demand.”
The pressure is particularly acute at companies like Target, that had previously championed diversity in hiring and in sourcing their products.
Already, Bryant said, Target has ceded to one demand. After meeting with Target CEO Brian Cornell on Thursday, Bryant announced Sunday that Target agreed to honor its pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses — a commitment initially made in 2021.
But that’s not enough. Bryant called for the boycott to continue and hopes Cornell will attend a town hall on Tuesday to address community concerns. Target did not respond to CNN’s latest request for comment.
The stakes are high for Target: Black Americans are expected to have a buying power of $2 trillion by 2026, up from $1.7 trillion in 2024, according to a report from The Nielsen Company.
“We saw (Target) as a friend. They championed diversity,” Bryant told CNN. “So, we were in shock and awe when they reversed what is their stance and position.”
Target said it had a new strategy called “Belonging at the Bullseye,” which it first introduced last year, and the company remained committed to “creating a sense of belonging for our team, guests and communities.” Target also stressed the need for “staying in step with the evolving external landscape.”
Target is one of dozens of Fortune 500 companies that have backtracked on DEI in response to conservative court decisions, pressure from right-wing activists and legal groups, and, more recently, the Trump administration’s threats to investigate what it characterizes as “illegal DEI,” including potential criminal cases against companies. Trump in particular has railed against diversity efforts, including signing an executive action on his first day in office entitled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.”
But no company has faced as fierce a blowback from DEI supporters as Target. Customers online have protested the decision, and Anne and Lucy Dayton, the daughters of one of Target’s co-founders, called the company’s actions “a betrayal.”
Target is under more pressure than companies like Walmart, John Deere or Tractor Supply, because Target went further in its DEI efforts, and it has a more progressive base of customers than those competitors.
Target was a leading advocate for DEI programs in the business world in the years after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in the company’s home city of Minneapolis in 2020. Target also spent years building a public reputation as a progressive employer on LGBTQ issues. Cornell defended the company’s diversity initiatives in 2023, attributing it to company growth in recent years and noting that the measures have helped Target add value, drive sales and build “greater engagement with both our teams and our guests.”
The blowback to Target’s DEI moves represents a significant challenge to its business and highlights the risks of companies abruptly moving away from diversity initiatives that still enjoy support on the left.
https://dnyuz.com/2025/04/21/target-rolled-back-dei-efforts-a-boycott-ensued-and-traffic-dropped/
When Target announced on January 24 that it would scale back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments, customers reacted swiftly, upset that a company that had so loudly touted its diversity initiatives appeared to be backtracking.
For 10 consecutive weeks, foot traffic at Target stores has declined — down 9% year-over-year in February and 6.5% year-over-year in March, according to data from analytics firm Placer.ai. While Placer.ai notes a variety of factors were likely to blame, like weather and a drop in post-holiday spending, Rev. Jamal Bryant has driven another reason for a drop-off: a fast — from shopping.
Bryant, the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, spearheaded a 40-day “fast” from shopping at the big-box store during Lent (March 5 to April 17). The Target Fast boycott had more than 200,000 participants, he said.
Target is just one of the companies now walking a tightrope, balancing the demands of President Donald Trump to end diversity efforts with what customers might want from the corporations they do business with.
“They hear me. The cash register hears me,” Bryant told CNN. “Power concedes nothing without a demand.”
The pressure is particularly acute at companies like Target, that had previously championed diversity in hiring and in sourcing their products.
Already, Bryant said, Target has ceded to one demand. After meeting with Target CEO Brian Cornell on Thursday, Bryant announced Sunday that Target agreed to honor its pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses — a commitment initially made in 2021.
But that’s not enough. Bryant called for the boycott to continue and hopes Cornell will attend a town hall on Tuesday to address community concerns. Target did not respond to CNN’s latest request for comment.
The stakes are high for Target: Black Americans are expected to have a buying power of $2 trillion by 2026, up from $1.7 trillion in 2024, according to a report from The Nielsen Company.
“We saw (Target) as a friend. They championed diversity,” Bryant told CNN. “So, we were in shock and awe when they reversed what is their stance and position.”
A pressure campaign from all sides
Just four days into Trump’s presidency, Target announced it was eliminating hiring goals for minority employees, ending an executive committee focused on racial justice and making other changes to its diversity initiatives.Target said it had a new strategy called “Belonging at the Bullseye,” which it first introduced last year, and the company remained committed to “creating a sense of belonging for our team, guests and communities.” Target also stressed the need for “staying in step with the evolving external landscape.”
Target is one of dozens of Fortune 500 companies that have backtracked on DEI in response to conservative court decisions, pressure from right-wing activists and legal groups, and, more recently, the Trump administration’s threats to investigate what it characterizes as “illegal DEI,” including potential criminal cases against companies. Trump in particular has railed against diversity efforts, including signing an executive action on his first day in office entitled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.”
But no company has faced as fierce a blowback from DEI supporters as Target. Customers online have protested the decision, and Anne and Lucy Dayton, the daughters of one of Target’s co-founders, called the company’s actions “a betrayal.”
Target is under more pressure than companies like Walmart, John Deere or Tractor Supply, because Target went further in its DEI efforts, and it has a more progressive base of customers than those competitors.
Target was a leading advocate for DEI programs in the business world in the years after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in the company’s home city of Minneapolis in 2020. Target also spent years building a public reputation as a progressive employer on LGBTQ issues. Cornell defended the company’s diversity initiatives in 2023, attributing it to company growth in recent years and noting that the measures have helped Target add value, drive sales and build “greater engagement with both our teams and our guests.”
The blowback to Target’s DEI moves represents a significant challenge to its business and highlights the risks of companies abruptly moving away from diversity initiatives that still enjoy support on the left.
https://dnyuz.com/2025/04/21/target-rolled-back-dei-efforts-a-boycott-ensued-and-traffic-dropped/
