After 40 days of a “ Target Fast ” led by Pastor Jamal Bryant and supported by 200,000 petitioners and Black churches across the U.S., the New Birth Missionary Church pastor announced at Easter Sunday service that the fast would shift into a “full-on boycott.” It’s just one way that the big retailer has been hit since it rolled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments on January 24.
For 10 consecutive weeks, foot traffic at Target has decreased and its stock has dropped. According to data from Placer.ai , Target saw a 7.9% decline year-over-year. As of Thursday, Target stock has dropped from $138 in January to $93.11. For many, the decline increasingly shows the force and power of the Black dollar.
“One church had an idea and it became a spark that became a flame,” Bryant said.
With the fast, Bryant said they had four demands of Target:
- Honor the $2 billion pledge to the Black business community through products, services, and black media buys
- Deposit $250 million in any of our 23 Black banks
- Completely restoring the franchise’s commitment to DEI
- Pipeline community centers at 10 HBCUs to teach retail business at every level
Bryant said the deadline to meet those demands and end the boycott was 9 a.m. on Sunday. Target only committed to one of the demands and did not meet that deadline…