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In February, The NAACP issued a “Black Consumer Advisory” calling for an
economic boycott of businesses that have rolled back their initiatives for diversity,
equality and inclusion (DEI) in their hiring and contracting practices. Target, a
hugely popular retailer among the Black community, was high on the boycott list.
Target was among at least 30 companies that discontinued the initiative that gave
women, veterans and people of color a leg up in terms of jobs and small
business partnerships. According to the big box retailer, DEI was a temporary
concept at best, and was on its way out even without Trump’s executive order. It
makes you wonder if their heart was ever really into diversity and equality at all.
Was it just a fad to keep Black folks shopping there?
Since Black History Month has ended, the NAACP has been relatively quiet.
Meanwhile, Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in
Atlanta has made quite a bit of noise, launching his 40-day fast from shopping at
Target, which ended on April 17.
Coming off the 40-day boycott, Bryant is ready to take it to the next level—a full
fledged national boycott for as long as it takes. Speaking at a town hall meeting
on Tuesday, the megachurch leader said Target has not satisfied his demands
and Black consumers must not let the retailer off the hook.
In addition to restoring DEI, Bryant is calling for:
Investment of $2 billion in black-owned businesses by July 31
Establishment of new partnerships with HBCUs
Deposits equal to $250 million in black-owned banks
Last week Target CEO Bryan Cornell met with activist Rev. Al Sharpton in
response to civil rights groups calling for a large-scale boycott. Sharpton hasn’t
revealed much, except to say the meeting was productive, and he will consult
with Rev. Bryant and take it from there.
Is the Target boycott working? The February-April figures are not available.
However, we do know that Target stock has taken a dive from $142 a share at
the end of January to its current price of $94. Foot traffic has declined as much
as 10 percent, according to Placer.ai
Despite attempts to erase our history and roll back civil rightsT, our right to
spend (or not spend) money however we choose is in full force. Let’s keep
going.
