16-04-2025
Target Boycott Phase Two: Organizers to Expand Movement This Weekend
Greear Webb hasn't set foot in a Target or spent any money there in two months — a conscious departure from what was once his go-to retailer for affordable apparel and toiletries.
The 24-year-old Emory Law School student and Midtown resident is one of an estimated 10,000 members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest who answered Pastor Jamal Bryant's call in February to undertake a 40-day 'Target fast' in response to the company's walkback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which has sparked nationwide backlash from Black consumers.
Up until recently, Target was an outspoken supporter of DEI programs following the 2020 police murder of Georgia Floyd in Minneapolis, where the bullseye brand is headquartered. But the company announced an end to its three-year DEI goals on Jan. 24, less than a week after President Donald Trump began a push to end public and private sector DEI programs, signaling a larger political shift following Trump's election win in November.
Webb spent Monday evening shopping at a nearby Kroger. He's one of many Black Atlanta residents who have grown weary of Target and other major retailers allegedly taking Black customers for granted.
'We're tired of the economic injustice,' Webb told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. 'We're tired of the political injustice, where people are treating us as a political minority with no power at all.'
Target hasn't responded to Capital B Atlanta's calls and emails requesting comment.
Metro Atlanta was the nexus for the 40-day Target fast, which formally began on March 5 and is scheduled to end on Thursday, coinciding with the conclusion of Lent. However, local boycott organizers and participants say their economic justice movement will continue indefinitely.
On Friday, New Birth will host a three-day event dubbed the Bullseye Black Market that is designed to showcase local Black businesses and give Target boycott supporters a chance to connect with pro-Black brands and entrepreneurs.
On Easter Sunday, the megachurch's pastor is unveiling the next phase in the Target boycott.
'We will give the state-of-the-Target address, as it were — where we are and how do we proceed,' Bryant told Capital B Atlanta on Friday.
Bryant estimates that 150,000 people across America have boycotted Target. Duke University public policy professor Vicki Bogan told CNN recently that Black people represent about 9% of Target's customer base.
Foot traffic at Target stores has declined for 10 consecutive weeks since the company's policy change, according to Retail Brew. In addition, Macrotrends data shows Target's stock price has plummeted from an all-time high of $266.38 in November 2021 to a four-year low of about $95 — a drop likely made steeper by Trump's recent tariffs on foreign imports, which have contributed to widespread market volatility.
Bryant said he's scheduled to meet with leaders at Target this week.
'We'll see whether that comes to bear,' he said.
The Black faith leader acknowledged other companies, including Amazon and Walmart, have eliminated or changed their DEI programs since Trump won reelection, but he said Target stands out because of the $2 billion commitment it allegedly broke to the Black community in the wake of Floyd's tragic killing.
'They disavowed their commitment to George Floyd's family,' Bryant said. 'It was incomprehensible that they will betray a community that has been so loyal to them.'
The Target fast website lists four demands for the retailer: To restore the corporation's commitment to DEI, to honor its $2 billion pledge to Black businesses, to deposit $250 million amongst Black-owned banks, and to invest in retail business education at 10 HBCUs.
Bryant said the goal was to demonstrate the collective economic power of Black consumers, which is expected to surpass $2 trillion in 2026, according to Nielsen.
The boycott, Bryant suggested, has given voice to the Black Americans opposed to Trump policies whose collective will may have been thwarted at the ballot box.
'Our pocketbooks are our picket signs,' Bryant added. 'Our dollar is the demonstration.'
The Target boycott was generated out of the larger Our Money United campaign started more than a year ago by Charles Walker, CEO of Friends of the Movement Global, an Atlanta-based social data analytics company.
Organizers recently unveiled additional tools designed to help Black consumers and their allies avoid spending money with companies that are not aligned with their values, including a National Boycott Registry that helps consumers find businesses that are aligned with their values, a 'Voter Wallet' digital tool that connects users with Black-owned businesses, and a Black Wall Street ticker that tracks and reports community spending.
'Companies don't want to admit that a boycott hurt them, so we have to quantify that on our end,' Walker said. 'This is just starting. We're going to continue to organize and build, block by block.'
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