By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
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. “That commitment was due in December 2025. 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. “Because of how many dollars are spent there and the absence of commitment to our community, we are focusing on Target first.”
Set to coincide with Lent, the fast is designed to leverage Black economic power to hold corporations accountable. Within just one week, 50,000 people had already signed onto the campaign at targetfast.org, which the pastor said highlighted the movement’s momentum.
Bryant’s demands go beyond reinstating DEI. “White women are the number one beneficiaries of DEI,” he said. “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.”
Separate, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing the Black Press of America, has announced a national public education and selective buying campaign in response to the corporate retreat from DEI commitments. “We are the trusted voice of Black America, and we will not be silent or nonresponsive to the rapid rise of renewed Jim Crow racist policies in corporate America,” said NNPA Chairman Bobby R. Henry Sr.
NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. reinforced the need for financial realignment. “Black Americans spend $2 trillion annually. We must evaluate and realign to question why we continue to spend our money with companies that do not respect us. These contradictions will not go unchallenged.”
To offer alternatives, 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.”
