40-day goal boycott starts today. It's impossible for a company to have a worse moment
The goal is a 40-day consumer boycott starting on Wednesday as the company moves from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.
“We ask people to quit Target because they backed our community,” Pastor Jamal Bryant, a famous mega-chapel pastor in the Atlanta area, said in an interview with CNN.
The boycott that began at the beginning of Lent comes more than a month after Target made changes to its DEI program, as the company faced a fierce attack on tariffs in a challenging economy.
On January 24, when Donald Trump was president, Target announced that it would cancel its hiring target for minority employees, ending an executive committee focused on racial justice and making other changes to its diversity plan. Target said it adopted a new strategy called “Associate Bullseye,” which was first introduced last year, and the company remains committed to “creating a sense of belonging for our team, guests and communities.” The goal also highlights the need to “align with the evolving exterior landscape.”
Target is one of dozens of wealthy companies that go back to the DEI in response to pressure from conservative court rulings, activists and right-wing legal groups, and more recently, the Trump administration’s threats to investigate threats characterized by “illegal DEI”, including potential criminal cases. Companies are trapped between pursuing increased diversity and avoiding conservative legal repression.
However, no company faces the counterattack of supporters as violently as its target. Online customers protested the decision, while Anne and Lucy Dayton, daughters of one of Target co-founders, called the company's actions “betrayal.”
Companies like Walmart, John Deere or Tractor Supply are under greater pressure as Target is making further progress in DEI efforts and customers have a better customer base than those competitors.
In 2020, Target was a leading advocate for the DEI program in the business world in the years after George Floyd was murdered by police in the company’s hometown of Minneapolis. Target also spent years building a public reputation on LGBTQ issues.
“Black people spend more than $12 million a day, so we expect loyalty, some decent and kindness,” Bryant said.
Melissa Butler, CEO of Lip Bar, is one of the largest black-owned makeup companies in Tiktok. But she fears boycotting will hurt black-owned businesses.
