Target boycott leader has harsh message for CEO as sales decline

In late January, Target (TGT) ignited a firestorm when it boldly decided to cut back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Many corporations embedded these policies into their work culture after George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer who assisted in his arrest in 2020. The incident brought to light many inequities Black people face in America.

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The goal of DEI policies is to advance opportunities in the workplace for people of various backgrounds.

Target’s cuts to these policies included withdrawing its participation in the Human Rights Campaign survey, which tracks LGBTQ+ corporate policies and practices.

It also discontinued its three-year DEI goals and concluded its Racial Equity Action and Change initiatives, which launched in 2020. Those initiatives involved advancing the careers of Black employees, instituting anti-racism training for staff members, promoting Black-owned businesses, sourcing products from Black suppliers, and more.

Target appears to suffer the consequences of cutting DEI

Target’s decision to scale back DEI came shortly after President Donald Trump issued an executive order dismantling the federal government’s DEI programs, claiming they enforce “illegal and immoral discrimination.”

The change from Target had a destructive domino effect; the retailer faced several boycott threats from consumers who disagreed with the cuts to DEI. Target’s sales also declined, and foot traffic in its stores weakened.

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In its second-quarter earnings report for 2025, Target revealed that its comparable store sales decreased by almost 3.2% year over year. Recent data from Placer.ai also shows that overall customer visits in Target stores declined by 3.1% during the quarter.

​​As Target struggles to attract customers, it recently announced that it will replace its CEO, Brian Cornell, with its current chief operating officer, Michael Fiddelke, in February 2026.

Target boycott leader has tough words for leadership

The Rev. Jamal Bryant, a pastor from Atlanta who led a 40-day Target boycott in March protesting the DEI cuts, said in a recent interview with PBS News that he is disappointed with the upcoming change in leadership. He flagged that Cornell is actually being promoted despite stepping down as CEO.

“He’s being replaced by the COO, and he has now moved upwards as the chair of the board,” said Bryant. “So it’s really rewarding of bad behavior. We’re really disappointed. But we hope, and we are hopeful that there will be a change of perspective when it comes to a DEI for the company.”

Bryant said that it was important for him to organize a boycott of the company since the African American community spends over $12 million a day at Target, and it is one of the leading employers of African Americans.

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In response to consumer backlash over DEI cuts, Cornell highlighted in a recent op-ed that Target has invested $2 billion in Black-owned businesses, more than doubling the number of Black-owned brands on its shelves. He also said that Target has supported over 500 entrepreneurs and is completing a $100 million investment in Black-led community organizations.

Bryant said that these initiatives from Target are “insufficient” due to a lack of evidence of the beneficiaries of these goals.

“I think it’s insufficient because they produce no receipts, $2 billion, and yet they have not been forthcoming as to what entities were the recipients of it,” said Bryant. “We asked them to lay out, where did they make the investment? They said, because of privacy, they couldn’t release it. We’d love to put a ribbon on it, but if Black companies or Black banks were the recipients, they would be clamoring to announce it, and yet we’re in silence of the lambs. Nobody can attest to the graciousness that they are claiming to represent.”

Bryant believes Target will continue to be on a downward spiral if it doesn’t reinstate its DEI initiatives.

“They will continue to hemorrhage,” said Bryant. “And I think, with 9.7% of foot traffic being slowed down, online sales being slowed down, the stock continuing to plummet, the valuation has dropped by $12 billion, then I think that it’s time now for the shareholders to make their voice clear on what is needed and necessary.”

Target is one of many companies facing consumer boycotts

Target isn’t the only company that has recently suffered consumer boycotts this year. Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, and McDonald’s are a few large companies that have faced boycotts for their business practices and beliefs.

More consumers nationwide are opting to boycott companies amid elevated political tensions.

According to a recent survey from LendingTree, 31% of Americans have boycotted a business for reasons such as the company condoning discrimination, its political donations, affiliations, or religious messaging or practices.

Also, 45% of Americans said they sometimes research a company’s values or beliefs before making a purchase.

“Any company that attempts to downplay the importance of politics in their customers’ shopping choices does so at its own peril,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst, in the survey. “Your potential customers are listening closely to what your business says, whether you like it or not.”

Schulz also emphasized that companies should be willing to take public stances on issues.

“Some issues are too important to remain quiet about,” he said. “However, a company would be doing itself a disservice if it didn’t at least look into the possible impact of such a stance on its overall bottom line. A bold stance will likely make many potential customers like a business less, but it’ll also likely make others like them more.”

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