Community Leaders Call For Boycott As Target Turns Back On Diversity Initiatives

Community Leaders Call For Boycott As Target Turns Back On Diversity Initiatives

The call for a boycott comes days after Twin Cities Pride ended its partnership with the retailer.

Community leaders in the Twin Cities are calling for a nationwide boycott of Target following its decision to end most of its diversity initiatives.

The group held a press conference outside of Target's corporate headquarters in downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 30, calling for a boycott to begin on Feb. 1.

The rally, led by Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network, asserted that it did not believe Target came to its decision to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs independently, but did so in response to actions taken by the administration of President Donald Trump. In particular, an executive order aimed at ending DEI programs in the federal government.

Target has said that its policy changes were in the works long before the reelection of President Trump.

"For some reason, Target didn't understand that its decision was not only offensive, but it's bad for business," Levy Armstrong said at Thursday's rally, noting that Target was one of the companies that stepped up to start DEI initiatives in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020.

"We thought that they would hold the line," Levy Armstrong said. "We thought that they would continue to stand for the values that we all hold dear. Instead, they acted cowardly, and they made the decision to bow down to the Trump administration."

Target did not respond to a request for comment.

"Boycotts work," said Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director of CAIR MN. "You choose where your dollar goes. Dollar diplomacy works."

Hussein, who was also the founder of the "Abandon Harris" campaign that urged voters to withhold votes from Democrats in November due to the Biden administration's stance on the Israel-Gaza war, said they're asking for Target employees to stand up and for shoppers to take their dollars elsewhere.

"There's a lot of places you can go," he said. "Target is not the only one that sells diapers. Target is not the only one that sells food... [If we bring] this boycott, I promise you, before the end of Black History Month in February, Target will reverse its course."

Other Minnesota organizations have also pushed back on the decision from Target, as well as other businesses that have made similar moves in January.

Sheletta Brundidge, podcaster, Star Tribune columnist, and WCCO radio host, canceled a sponsorship from Amazon for her Black Entrepreneurs Day event at the Capitol, returning the retail giant's money.

"I'm not gonna be bought or sold and I'm not gonna sell out my people," Brundidge told Bring Me The News via email. "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dr. Josie Johnson fought too hard for me to let that happen."

Brundidge also spoke at Thursday's rally.

Additionally, Twin Cities Pride uninvited Target from being a sponsor of its summer festival and parade. The organization called on the community to help it fill the $50,000 gap in funding that Target's absence would create. In less than 24 hours, Twin Cities Pride surpassed that goal.

“We do not believe it is a coincidence that Target made this decision after the holiday shopping season and roughly one week before the start of Black History Month," Monique Cullars-Doty, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Minnesota, said in a statement. "Black creators who have products on Target’s shelves will undoubtedly be impacted by this boycott. However, we are urging everyone to buy directly from Black companies through their websites rather than stepping foot in Target stores."

At Thursday's rally, Cullars-Doty urged people to cut up Target cards "and place them at the front door of Target," as some participants did during the event. She also added that she's "calling for businesses to stop selling at Target" in response to the policy changes.

Levy Armstrong said that her Minnesota-based group pushing for a boycott has worked on partnerships with other organizations around the country and will continue to put pressure on the company to reverse its decision.

SOURCE: Bring Me The News