Community discusses extending boycott against Target over DEI policy changes
Pastor wants to expand boycott against Target
A metro Atlanta pastor wants to expand a boycott against target. Rev. Jamal Bryant initially called for African American consumers to launch a nationwide "fast" against the retail giant after it did away with its DEI policies. The boycott was supposed to end on Easter Sunday, but now the reverend wants it to continue.
ATLANTA - The pastor of a Georgia megachurch is calling to turn the "Target fast," which was supposed to end on Easter Sunday, into a full-fledged boycott.
SEE ALSO: Target DEI rollback: Atlanta pastor calls for Easter 'fast' to shift to 'full-on boycott'
What we know:
A group of local leaders held a meeting at Salem Bible Church to discuss the way forward.
What they're saying:
Edward Williams supports the nationwide boycott against Target. "They promised they would do something, then they reneged on it," Williams said. "Don’t know if I’ll ever go back."
Williams was one of the hundreds of people who crowded Salem Bible Church in Lithonia, Tuesday evening. They backed calls for extending a partial fast, a break from shopping at Target, into a full-fledged boycott. "It makes them see how our dollars are spent, and when they don’t see our dollars, they miss that," Williams said.
"It is so critical and important that corporations would recognize and respect the Black dollar and our consumer power," said Rev. Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. He launched the 40-day fast of the big-box chain store during Lent until Easter after the retail giant abandoned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies under pressure from the Trump administration. "Their stock has gone down; at the bottom of it, the valuation has gone down as well as the foot traffic."
Rev. Bryant said, so far, Target has agreed to one demand: fulfill a previous $2 billion pledge to support Black businesses. But he says the retail giant has not met other demands, including depositing hundreds of millions of dollars into Black-owned banks and bringing back DEI. So now he’s calling for a continuation of the boycott. "Corporations will see they can’t take Black dollars for granted and that we’re in here for the long haul."
Martha Zoller, a conservative panelist with FOX 5’s The Georgia Gang, does not support DEI. But she says consumers have a right to spend their money where they see fit. "I never support boycotts," Zoller said. "I understand they think they can have some power there. I am a capitalist, so I think you can get to people as far as spending your money."
The other side:
FOX 5 called and emailed Target, but did not receive a response as of this publication.
The Source: FOX 5’s Christopher King spoke with Rev. Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church; Edward Williams, a supporter of the nationwide boycott against Target; and Martha Zoller, a conservative panelist with FOX 5’s The Georgia Gang, for this article.