Consumer Boycotts target DEI retreats—are they working? What we know.
Consumer boycotts are targeting companies like Amazon and Target, who’ve rolled back DEI initiatives, but are they working? Here’s what we know.
A leader in the Black faith community who has been spearheading a consumer boycott of Target is expanding his group’s efforts to put pressure on another retailer he said has retreated from diversity, equity and inclusion.
Next up is an electronic protest of Dollar General starting immediately. The protest will entail flooding the discount retailer’s email account and phone lines and a social media campaign to get it to change course.
At the same time, Jamal-Harrison Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, who led what started as a “Target Fast” during Lent that was extended into a longer boycott, said his group is moving to a “Target blackout” that will be indefinite.
“Target is canceled since they have betrayed and walked away from our community, and we’ve gone on from there,” Bryant told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview. “We’re done with Target, and then our next focus will be around Dollar General.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Dollar General and is awaiting a response. Target released a statement, which said the retailer was “dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone.”
Why is the group protesting Dollar General?
Bryant said Dollar General has also “walked away from DEI and have said absolutely nothing.”
“Like other corporations, Dollar General has bowed to pressure from the Trump administration and rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” Bryant said. “Dollar General also needs to be held accountable for failing to invest in the very Black and low-income communities that make up the backbone of their customer base. This isn’t just a corporate retreat − it’s a betrayal of the people they profit from.”
The call to action for Dollar General will be different from Target’s, Bryant said. Instead of boycotting shopping at Dollar General, the group is calling for “a mass technological campaign of telephone and e-mail and social media.” Supporters will be encouraged to clog the retailer’s phone lines and email and use social media to pressure Dollar General to reinstate its DEI initiatives, Bryant said.
Shoppers who want to stay away from Dollar General can, but Bryant is not calling for a full boycott because “a lot of our family members in rural communities are at the hands of Dollar General because of food deserts that bring a whole other conversation.”
In parts of the country where Dollar General locations are in a “food desert,” or an area where access to fresh fruits and vegetables are limited, the store may be the only place people “can get produce and vegetation, and so we’ll be shifting the approach … so that we can really make an impact without having an adverse impact on those who really need a Dollar General,” Bryant said.
There are more than 20,000 Dollar General stores in the United States as of April, the company said on its website.
The effort begins immediately, Bryant said.
Bryant’s group wants Dollar General to restore and strengthen DEI infrastructure, create a community reinvestment fund, expand contracts to Black-owned vendors and address systemic racism within Dollar General’s corporate culture.
Bryant said he believes the electronic protest can put pressure on Dollar General even if some who participate don’t actually shop at the retailer.
“The reality is the amount of people who protest Tesla dealerships, those people don’t drive Teslas,” Bryant said. “The impact of the brand is still tarnished, so we think we’ve found there’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
What is the Target boycott?
Two boycotts have been aimed specifically at Target – one that began on Feb. 1 to coincide with Black History Month, then Bryant’s action.
The first indefinite Target boycott was launched at the start of February by Minnesota activists, including Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network. Armstrong has told USA TODAY that Target’s DEI retreat was a slap in the face to many Black shoppers who supported the retailer.
Separately, consumer boycotts also have been led by The People’s Union, which organized a one-day economic blackout of all consumer spending Feb. 28. The group has since held several weekly boycotts of other businesses and supported a three-day economic blackout in April.
The Latino community has also been active on social media, using the hashtag #LatinoFreeze to encourage supporters to “hold your money” amid freezes on DEI initiatives, reduced funding for the National Institutes of Health and actions on immigration.
On May 25, Bryant’s group partnered with more than 50 Black churches around the country to peacefully protest outside Target stores on the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 to continue to pressure the retailer to reinstate its DEI initiatives and meet the four demands of Bryant’s organization. Those also include investing in Black-owned banks and establishing retail centers at historically Black colleges and universities.
How has Target reacted to the consumer boycotts?
On April 17, the Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), met with Target CEO Brian Cornell at Cornell’s request. Bryant, who was at the meeting, told USA TODAY a commitment to reestablish a $2 billion pledge to invest in Black-owned brands and businesses was underway, and Cornell said at the meeting that it would be complete by July 31. No announcements have been made by Target, and a Target spokesman said the goal would be completed within the year. Bryant said that because the other three demands have not been met, the Target blackout will move on.
Target is “suspended indefinitely,” Bryant said, adding that he is always “amenable to meet.”
Target released this statement on May 28 in response to Bryant’s Target blackout: “Target is absolutely dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone – our team members, our guests and our supply partners. Today, we are proud of the progress we’ve made since 2020 and believe it has allowed us to better serve the needs of our customers. In the last five years, we have: committed to invest $2 billion in Black-owned businesses and brands within five years; supported students at over 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); invested $100 million to Black-led community organizations; given scholarships to over 30,000 members of our team to advance their careers; committed 5% of our profits to the communities we operate in; volunteered millions of hours to organizations across the country and created meaningful opportunities for our team members to thrive both personally and professionally.
“Going forward, we’re committed to expanding opportunity by supporting small businesses, increasing access to education, and creating the best team to serve the more than 2,000 communities where Target operates.”
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How have the Target boycotts affected the retailer?
Target stock has plummeted since earlier this year. On Jan. 31, before the first boycott began on Feb. 1, shares closed at $137.91. It reached a low of $88.76 on April 8, a 35.6% drop.
In-person foot traffic at Target has also been affected, according to Placer.ai, which uses a panel of tens of millions of devices and employs machine learning to make estimations for in-store visits. Traffic dropped as much as 8.10% the week of Feb. 17 and has ebbed and flowed, sometimes increasing. Traffic was down 2.1% the week of May 12, according to the latest information available.
Target also slashed its annual forecast during its last earnings report on May 21, reporting a sharp fall in quarterly same-store sales as customers pulled back on purchases because of worries about inflation and the economy. Target also acknowledged that its performance was affected by the consumer boycotts.
Will the Black faith community scrutinize other businesses?
Bryant said his group’s efforts will expand to other businesses that have rolled back DEI initiatives.
“Any organization or company that is adverse to our community is on the list. It is just so exhaustive that we start strategically, and it is better to focus on one at a time,” he said.
Bryant said he has been grateful to supporters who have stayed away from Target as well as expressed their displeasure on social media.
“I’m grateful for every post on TikTok and Instagram and Snapchat and Facebook,” Bryant said. “They are really the unsung heroes that helped make this happen.”
This story has been updated with new information.
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays, here.
