by Mollee Liberg

The Black History Month T-Shirts are on display and the rainbow colors spread throughout the aisles, while Target, a Fortune 500 company, demolishes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Doing so has forced them to face a tremendous backlash. Target, once a front-runner in inclusivity and diversity, is facing a 40-day boycott. 

On January 24, 2025, this Minnesota-based chain concluded their hiring and promotion goals for women, LGBTQ+ members, racial minority groups, and people with disabilities. Previously, Target has been recongnized as an inclusive company because of their numerous donations to LGBTQ+ groups and black economic empowerment programs. Following the removal of said programs and diversity focused initiatives, people are putting their money where their mouth is, and it’s not at Target. 

The boycott began on March 5, 2025 and will last for 40 days. People chose 40 days because of Lent, which is a 40-day Catholic celebration of fasting before Easter. Dr. Jamal Bryant, an Atlanta pastor, was the first to organize the boycott and called for black consumers to wield their economic powers and rights. The black communities are shown to have loyalty to Target because they had enforced the DEI program after the issue with George Floyd in 2020. “Black people spend on average $12 million a day in Target, so with that large of a consumption pie, we need to be treated with a great decibel of respect” Dr. Jamal Bryant said on Fox 5 Atlantic. Bryant’s group is counting on over 100,000 Americans to take the pledge to keep their feet out of the doors of Target for 40-days. 

As of March 6th, 110,000 people have signed the pledge to go forward with the boycott, and it is rapidly spreading all over social media platforms. These participants are encouraged to get rid of and sell any products they may have bought from Target. “If the board and the CEO of Target remains steadfast, then we’re committed to sojourn until there is an adjustment,” Bryant said. This boycott is ordering Target to deposit $250 million among 23 black banks, completely restore the commitment to DEI, and honor 2 billion dollars to the Black Business Community by purchasing services, products, and making Black Media buys.

The Target company explains how their sales have been on a decline since late February. This is because the foot-traffic at Targets around the globe is slowly diminishing more and more every day. They have lost 9% of customers along with other companies who have chosen to drop out of DEI.  This is not the first time Target has been faced with a boycott. In the summer of 2023, Target was boycotted over their Pride collection. This boycott was sparked because it was said to be criticism towards children and the kind of society parents want their kids to grow up in. The impact of this boycott resulted in the revenues to decline by 2%. Their reputation was higher than anyone else’s in April 2023, but declined drastically by December.

With President Donald Trump returning to the White House, an executive order was signed to take back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion across the federal government. He explained that it was “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral” to have this program be expressed throughout the country. Many companies have cancelled their DEI programs such as McDonalds and Amazon. While many people are criticizing these decisions of cancelling DEI programs, others are celebrating these initiatives as victories over others.

Sources 

Target’s DEI retreat has sparked a 40-day boycott – Quartz

Target boycott: Why people are taking a 40-day break from retailer

Target Faces Lent Boycott After Rolling Back DEI Initiatives

Catholic Fasting and Abstinence Guide 2025

As Lent begins, so to does the Target Fast, a 40-day store boycott

Target cuts controversial policies amid weak sales – TheStreet

Are Target Boycotts Starting To Take Their Toll? – Forbes

Target Boycott: Figures Show Impact of ‘Blackout’ Protest – Newsweek