Although the nationwide boycott of Target for its retraction of DEI commitments has been successful, Pastor Jamal Bryant believes there’s more work that needs to be done. The Atlanta-based faith leader led the charge in the Black community and other minority groups to stop spending their hard-earned dollars at the major retail chain’s locations nationwide in February.
This financial protest followed the company’s response to President Trump’s executive orders passed in January to dismantle “illegal DEI discrimination and preferences” across federal agencies, according to Reuters. This included rescinding affirmative action mandates and disbanding DEI offices to remove all their DEI programs.
What effect is the Target boycott having nationwide?
In addition to Target, companies like Walmart, Amazon, Ford, McDonald’s and Meta scaled back their DEI efforts. Since the boycott began, Target faced significant losses compared to other enterprises, as its stock value decreased from $145 to $93 per share, Atlanta Black Star reported. It’s lost approximately $12 billion in market value. Customer visits to physical stores have declined by nearly 8%, while online sales have taken an almost 10% hit.
According to Atlanta Black Star, Bryant says that it’s been “the most effective boycott for black people in 70 years since the Montgomery Bus Boycott.”
“We had so invited Target to the cookout that we gave them hood credentials,” Bryant added.
Jamal Bryant says there’s still work that remains amid the Target boycott
Despite the impact of the boycott, Bryant says he’s “embarrassed” at the aftermath of it.
“So we’re cheering for Costco,” he said, per Atlanta Black Star. “So, in 70 years of the civil rights movement, we still don’t have one franchise that is Black. We should be so much further than that.”
Bryant went on to say Black-owned and operated “department stores” or wholesale stores that Black Americans could alternatively shop at.
“I can’t take you to a Black department store, but I’d take you to get wings. I’m taking you to get hair bundles. I’m taking you to get waist trainers,” he said about the city of Atlanta.
He continued, “We have confused settlements with victory.”
The philanthropist criticized the overreliance on social media and influencers, calling for a more innovative and organized approach to digital engagement, one that prioritizes impact over popularity.
“We ‘doing it for the ‘gram’ and doing it for the likes of trying to be viral,” he said. “We don’t know how to make money in that space because we want to co-host BET.”
Another notion Bryant emphasized was the need to expand the movement beyond just Black churches and civil rights groups by fostering collective accountability and collaboration. He argued that too much focus is placed on individual leaders when real progress requires shared strategy and unity.
“So we’ve got a shift from who got the mic to say who has the plan,” he said. “The system understands the power of organizing.”
