Black church leader says Target boycott won't ease until DEI programs return
Poster for the "Confronting DEI Backlash" webinar (Courtesy image)
A collective Lenten fast from making purchases at Target has been lengthened into a “full-out boycott,” Jamal Bryant, pastor of an Atlanta-area megachurch and one of the leaders of the campaign, announced on Easter Sunday.
At a Tuesday town hall meeting, the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church said the big-box retailer continues to not take the concerns of Black shoppers seriously. Bryant said they are extending the Lenten campaign beyond Easter because Target had not met all of the campaign’s demands. Among them: restoring the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and pledging money to Black-owned banks and businesses.
The Lenten fast, which garnered some 200,000 registrants on the targetfast.org website, was organized as a protest against Target’s announcement in January that it would pull back from DEI programs, including one dedicated to diversifying the suppliers it uses to stock its shelves.
