He’s hoping to get 100,000 people on board by Wednesday.
ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta pastor has made national headlines as he calls for consumers to halt shopping at Target for 40 days after the company decided to scale back its diversity efforts.
Dr. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, said Target would be the first corporation he aims at in a corporate fast to encourage the Black community to be conscious of its spending power.
Target is one of several companies to rollback some of its DEI initiatives in recent months.
“We ought to be looked at as consumer partners that we are. We’re not looking for a favor, we’re looking for respectability,” Bryant said. “And corporations are not showing us that.”
He’s asking for others to participate in a 40-day fast next week and to pledge against shopping at the retail giant.
“When you consider how much revenue and commerce the African American community brings to these corporations, I don’t want them to feel as if they’re doing us a favor,” Bryant said. “We’re looking for partnership. That’s why we’re asking 100,000 African Americans and Christians to sign up at Targetfast.org, because numbers don’t lie and the data will speak for themselves.”
On Thursday, Bryant said they launched the campaign about two weeks ago and 73,000 people had already signed up. He’s hoping to get 100,000 people on board by Wednesday.
In January, the company revealed that changes to its “Belonging at the Bulleye” strategy would include ending a program it established to help Black employees build meaningful careers, improve the experience of Black shoppers, and promote Black-owned businesses following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
Target also said it would conclude the DEI goals it previously set in three-year cycles. Some of those goals included hiring and promoting more women and members of racial minority groups, and recruiting more diverse suppliers, including businesses owned by people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, veterans, and people with disabilities.
For Bryant, the company needs to follow through with those commitments.
“Target made a commitment to George Floyd’s family and the Minneapolis community, where they’re headquartered, to invest $2 billion into Black business by December 2025,” he said.
He laid out four things he would like to see the retail giant do:
- Honor the $2 billion pledge
- Deposit $250 million into Black banks of their choosing
- Restore its DEI commitments
- Pipeline community centers at 10 HBCUs to teach retail business
While major corporations have announced changes, President Donald Trump is pushing to dismantle the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Just last week, a federal judge blocked a sweeping executive order from Trump that sought to end government support for DEI programs. The injunction blocks funding withdrawal while a lawsuit plays out.
Bryant said during the 40-day fast, he hopes people will shop at minority businesses. However, Bryant said the fast is more than just redirecting spending.
“We’re calling it a fast, not a boycott, because it’s a spiritual journey that for 40 days we are in prayer and focus because we feel as if something spiritual is happening in America where people have lost the faith and confidence and hope into this great republic of ours,” he said. “And so I’m hoping that Christian community will come together, will stand together and actually make America great.”
11Alive reached out to Target about Bryant’s comments, but we did not hear back.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
