A yearlong national boycott of Target tied to the company’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives has officially ended, but the debate surrounding the retailer’s relationship with Black consumers and communities is far from over.
Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, announced this week that his coalition is ending the protest known as the “Target Fast.” The boycott began in March 2025 after Target scaled back some of its DEI programs following executive orders from President Donald Trump aimed at eliminating diversity initiatives across the federal government and private sector.
Bryant told USA TODAY the decision came after months of conversations with Target executives, including the company’s new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, who took over the role earlier this year after longtime CEO Brian Cornell moved into the position of executive chair.
“There are no new commitments, no reversals,” Bryant’s spokesperson Ebony Porter-Ike told the outlet, confirming that the company has not reinstated the DEI programs that sparked the boycott.
Even so, Bryant said he believes the protest produced progress in other areas. He pointed to Target programs focused on workplace advancement and inclusion, which he says still support opportunities for employees of different backgrounds.
“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,” he said. “It is essentially DEI as I read it. It is the exact same thing.”
Target echoed that message in a statement, saying the company remains “more committed than ever to creating growth and opportunity for all.”
“We’re pleased to be moving forward, and we will continue showing up as trusted neighbors while delivering results for our team members, guests and the more than 2,000 communities in which we serve,” the company said.
The boycott gained traction last year after Target retreated from several initiatives it introduced following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, whose killing occurred just miles from the company’s Minneapolis headquarters. At the time, Target pledged to increase Black representation across its workforce and direct billions of dollars toward Black-owned businesses and suppliers.
But in early 2025, the company began stepping away from some of those commitments, citing what it described as an “evolving external landscape."
Bryant launched the Target Fast campaign shortly afterward, calling on consumers to stop shopping at the retailer until it met four demands: completing a $2 billion investment in Black-owned businesses, depositing $250 million into Black-owned banks, establishing retail training centers at historically Black colleges and universities, and restoring certain DEI commitments.
More than 300,000 people signed a pledge supporting the boycott, Bryant said. The pastor now says Target has made progress on several of those issues, including expanding partnerships with HBCUs and nearly completing the company’s pledge to spend billions with Black-owned businesses.
However, other activists say the fight is far from finished.
Civil rights leaders, including Nekima Levy Armstrong, founder of the Racial Justice Network, and Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-Minnesota, held a press conference outside Target’s Minneapolis headquarters earlier this year to say they will continue their boycott until the company restores its DEI commitments.
“How can you call off a boycott focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and have no results to show for it?” Armstrong said, according to USA TODAY. “That is a slap in the face for the people.”
Hussein echoed those concerns, telling reporters the company has not changed its policies despite pressure from activists.
Meanwhile, some boycott organizers say the larger goal was always to push companies to recognize the power of consumer spending.
John Schwarz, founder of the consumer advocacy group The People’s Union USA, told USA TODAY that Americans across the political spectrum are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on their values. “What we have really seen develop is something broader,” Schwarz said. “People are becoming much more intentional about how and where they spend their money.”
Even among leaders who supported ending the Target Fast, skepticism remains about whether shoppers will return to the retailer.
Former Ohio state senator Nina Turner, who participated in the boycott effort, said consumers will ultimately make their own decisions — but she does not plan to resume shopping there anytime soon. “People have to make their own decision,” Turner said, according to Business Insider. “But as for me and my house, we will not be going back to Target.”
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