Dr. Jamal Bryant’s 40-Day TARGET Boycott Gains National Momentum

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Dr. Jamal Bryant, the influential pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in metro Atlanta, is leading a 40-day fast—or boycott—of Target in response to the retailer’s decision to phase out its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Bryant is calling for 100,000 people to sign a petition and halt their spending at Target as a direct challenge to what he describes as the company’s retreat from its commitments to Black businesses and consumers.

Target, headquartered in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered in 2020, initially pledged $2 billion in investments to Black-owned businesses. However, Bryant condemned the company’s announcement on January 24 that it would end its DEI initiatives and simultaneously abandon that financial commitment.

“After the murder of George Floyd, they made a $2 billion commitment to invest in Black businesses,” Bryant said during an appearance on the Black Press’ Let It Be Known News. “When they pulled out of the DEI agreement in January, they also canceled that $2 billion commitment.”

Bryant said that Target’s role in the Black consumer market makes it the logical first target of this economic protest. “Black people spend $12 million a day at Target,” he said.

Bryant’s demands go beyond reinstating DEI. “What I am asking for is a quarter of a billion dollars to be invested in Black banks so that our Black businesses can scale. Target has 10 distribution centers near HBCUs, and I’m asking them to partner with the business departments of these institutions.”

Bryant has partnered with Ron Busby, president and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, providing consumers with a directory of 300,000 Black-owned businesses. “You can’t tell people what not to do without showing them what to do,” Bryant said. “If you’re not going to Target or Walmart but need essentials like toilet paper, soap, or detergent, we’ll show you where to get them and reinvest in Black businesses.”

The impact of the boycott is already being felt, he insisted.

“Since Black people have been boycotting Target, the stock has dropped by $11,” Bryant said. “Stockholders are now suing Target because of the adverse impact this boycott has had on their stock.”

“This is just phase one,” Bryant continued. “After the 40 days, we’ll figure out who’s next. But we have to go after Target first. Amazon and others come right after. “America has shown us time and time again: if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.”