The Target boycott over DEI isn’t over yet

Headlines this week signaled that a major boycott against Target had come to an end. The retail giant has been under fire since winding back many of its commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion a year ago, which sparked widespread criticism from the Black community and consumer boycotts that had a tangible impact on the business. Over the course of 2025, Target’s already sluggish sales dropped further, and its share price fell by more than 30%; by August, the company had announced that CEO Brian Cornell would be stepping down. 

One of those boycotts, which originally started as a 40-day “Target Fast” led by Atlanta-based pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant, has now been called off, following what Bryant described as “productive” conversations with company leaders. But that boycott reportedly did not result in any meaningful changes to Target’s DEI policies—and the Minnesota civil rights activists behind another major boycott have made clear that they don’t plan to back down anytime soon.

“Let’s be clear: The Target boycott is not over,” Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of the boycott cofounders, said in a statement. “This is a grassroots movement led by communities demanding corporate accountability, and we will not stop until Target reverses its retreat from diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Another cofounder, Jaylani Hussein, emphasized that Target had “not met the demands of the boycott, and therefore the boycott continues.” (When contacted by Fast Company, Target was not available for comment.)

Bryant suggested in a March 12 press conference that the company had reassured him of its continued commitment to DEI, and in particular the Black community, which until last year Target had long supported through internal DEI programs and efforts to boost supplier diversity and Black-owned brands.

“They have a program called Belonging, which gives access to everybody, not just for entry-level positions, but to be able to ascend into C-suites,” Bryant elaborated in an interview with USA Today. “It is essentially DEI as I read it. It is the exact same thing.” 

In conversations with Bryant and other activists, Target also reportedly acknowledged that the company had lost the trust of Black consumers and employees, according to The Wall Street Journal. Target has not, however, walked back its reversal on DEI or reinstated any of its previous policies in response to the boycotts. (Bryant told USA Today that Target had addressed some boycott demands—namely that the company would continue investing in Black-owned businesses.)

While the company did sign on to a letter penned by a group of prominent CEOs in Minnesota, Target has not spoken forcefully about the immigration crackdown and violence in its home state—even as its stores and workers were directly affected. 

Target is, of course, not alone in distancing itself from DEI. The company is just one of many corporate employers that have taken pains to disavow DEI—at least publicly—over the past few years. While this shift started with the Supreme Court ruling that overturned affirmative action in 2023, it has accelerated in the past year as the Trump administration has explicitly targeted DEI programs across the federal government and in the private sector. Some companies have opted to rebrand their DEI programs to mitigate legal risk without abandoning them outright. 

Like many other employers, Target took steps to shield itself from legal liability due to the “evolving external landscape,” concluding many of its DEI initiatives. But Target has been particularly vulnerable to blowback because of its reputation as a company that has historically supported the Black community. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020—which happened just miles from company headquarters—Target made significant commitments to promote racial equity, pledging to increase its share of Black workers by 20% over the following three years and invest $2 billion in Black-owned businesses by 2025. 

Amid the political environment, it’s not clear whether the ongoing boycott will move Target to reevaluate its approach to DEI, especially as the company continues to navigate broader business woes and falling sales. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently embarked on a major investigation into Nike’s DEI practices, which could eventually have significant consequences for corporate DEI efforts—and, in the meantime, discourage employers from engaging in entirely legal forms of diversity work. At the moment, it seems companies like Target have little incentive to openly support DEI or draw attention to any DEI initiatives they may have in place.