Several black faith leaders have urged members of their congregations to boycott their targets in protest of the company’s decision to abandon its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative.
The retail giant has joined many other companies dropping diversive programs and initiatives in response to a bigger backlash against what is called “attractive” after a threatened boycott by conservatives and Donald Trump’s election to presidential election.
Jamal Harrison Bryant, senior pastor at the New Baptist Church of the New Birth Missionary in Stonecrest, Georgia, sparked the latest boycott call.
Bryant urged members of the Blackface community to start “40 Days Fast.” In line with the Lent liturgical season, where some Christians chose to refrain from certain joys and evils, they marked the beginning of lending from shopping at Target as of Wednesday, March 5th.
The boycott organizers have launched a website, TargetFast.orgpromotes 40 days of action and registers additional participants.
The website points out that black consumers spend more than $12 million per day on Target, urging members of the Blackface community to leverage their purchasing power, while also sending to Target that a right shift is not welcome to Target.
Bryant calls his target’s heels a “face slap” to black consumers.
“The fact in question is that after the target murdered George Floyd, he made a pledge to our community. [investing] $2 billion for black business[es] And when the administration changed, they denied it as if it would never happen,” he said. USA TODAY. “The pledge was never made under DEI or positive actions. It was out of decency and became humanity. It was an insult to leave it.”
The boycott, originally intended to enlist 100,000 Black Americans, has already surpassed Target in terms of those who signed a pledge not to shop at Target, and has attracted attention on social media. Those who sign the pledge will receive a digital business directory from the Black Chamber of Commerce, which lists 300,000 black-owned businesses deemed worthy of consumer support, and a 40-day prayer journal.
Boycott participants are also encouraged to sell their target stocks.
Organizers hope to draw promises from their targets, including celebrating their previous $2 billion pledge to support black-owned businesses, depositing $250 million with 23 black banks, restoring DEI programs and initiatives, and creating community centers at 10 historically black universities to teach retail businesses at all levels.
Bryant says that the benchmark for 40 days is now, but can be expanded in the future, depending on the impact of the boycott and the company’s response to the loss of business.
“Fast 40 Days” has come at a tough time for Target, with sales recently reported a slight drop in February.
It’s still too early to cite the decisive cause, but other groups of consumers and activists are engaged in a broader day boycott of many brands that have dropped the DEI program. (The target specifically targeted the target of the 1st boycott on February 28th.)
Additionally, Target is currently facing a boycott from the Minnesota activists where the company’s headquarters are. It began on February 1st and coincided with the Black History Month celebration.
The company has received even more negative reports, and has been banned from Twin Cities Pride, a Minneapolis and St. Paul-based Pride celebration, and has been historically involved in demonstrating support for the LGBTQ community.
Target Store pedestrians fell 9% during February, and other companies that rejected DEI initiatives such as Walmart, Best Buy, McDonald’s and Starbucks experienced a decline in sales costs during the same period, according to Placer.ai, a software company that tracks walking data from major companies.
By comparison, Costco notoriously angered conservatives for beating the proposal to drop the DEI, but pedestrian traffic increased by 2.2% in February after shareholders urged them to reject the proposal after an increase of 7.9% in January.
In a press release announcing a decline in sales, the target was largely due to “consumer uncertainty” as well as fears about how tariffs could affect product prices.
Target’s chief financial officer Jim Lee said he condemned the “characteristically cold weather” for affecting apparel sales. NBC.
As part of their efforts to steal Dei, many companies also agreed to halt support for LGBTQ causes, participate in pride events, and participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
Findings from an analysis by research and product development company Collage Group found that 58% of LGBTQ consumers have already planned to reduce or reduce plans to cut or reduce spending on brands that have eliminated DEI efforts.
The analysis found that a third of consumers stopped shopping at their favorite stores due to the political stance the company took, and that black and LGBTQ consumers are particularly likely to support brands that support diversity and inclusion.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, noted that the target has already experienced some backlash, including a decline in business from several stores, including a decline in business from members of the LGBTQ community.
“Sudding to unfounded attacks like Target does nothing to help businesses, consumers, or the US economy,” Ellis said in a statement. “Targets may blame cold weather for the decline in profits, but at the end of the day they need to look inwards. Now is the time for corporate leaders to lead.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
