Target CEO Cornell to meet with Sharpton to discuss DEI rollback as civil rights leader considers bo

[mystery-ak]

Target CEO Cornell to meet with Sharpton to discuss DEI rollback as civil rights leader considers boycott
Published Thu, Apr 17 2025 7:00 AM
Gabrielle Fonrouge
Melissa Repko

    Target CEO Brian Cornell will meet with civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the company’s decision to roll back DEI programs.

    The discussion comes as the big box retailer faces calls for a boycott and a slump in foot traffic that began soon after it announced plans to walk away from some DEI initiatives.

    Sharpton has not called for a boycott of Target, but said he’ll consider it if the company doesn’t reaffirm its commitment to Black businesses, employees and consumers.

Target

CEO Brian Cornell will meet with the Rev. Al Sharpton this week in New York as the retailer faces calls for a boycott and a slowdown in foot traffic that began after it walked back key diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the civil rights leader told CNBC Wednesday.

The meeting, which Target asked for, comes after some civil rights groups urged consumers not to shop at Target in response to the retailer’s decision to cut back on DEI. While Sharpton has not yet called for a boycott of Target, he has supported efforts from others to stop shopping at the retailer’s stores.

“You can’t have an election come and all of a sudden, change your old positions,” said Sharpton. “If an election determines your commitment to fairness then fine, you have a right to withdraw from us, but then we have a right to withdraw from you.”

more
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/17/target-ceo-to-meet-with-al-sharpton-after-dei-rollback.html

[Wingnut]

Shakedown Sharpton is up to his old bag of tricks.

[mountaineer]

I haven't shopped at Target for decades. Too gay.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Target will end up closing stores in minority areas because of the high rates of theft, anyway.

There won't be much harm to Target if shoplifters boycott their stores.

[mountaineer]

Didn't BLM burn down a few Target stores during the mostly peaceful riots of 2020?

[mystery-ak]

Megachurch pastor declares ‘full’ boycott of Target over DEI policies, but investigative reporter smells a rat
April 24, 2025 | Nicole Haas

The pastor of a Southern megachurch who had called for a 40-day “fast” of Target stores is doubling down, urging a “full” boycott.

Rev. Jamal Bryant is upset the retail giant isn’t living up to his boycott’s DEI demands. Funding black-owned businesses and restoring its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion are among the movement’s demands, The Hill reported.

Bryant launched the “fast” after Target announced in January that it would phase out its DEI policies amid the Trump administration’s efforts to root out the divisive initiatives within the U.S. government.

Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, outside Atlanta, Georgia, began his first Target attack in March, according to The Hill.

“Until Target comes to the table with serious, concrete proposals to meet our four demands, we will remain in this posture,” Bryant said on a website dedicated to the ongoing boycott effort.

more
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/04/24/megachurch-pastor-declares-full-boycott-of-target-over-dei-policies-but-investigative-reporter-smells-a-rat-1538697/

[Wingnut]

In good news, Target's shrinkage problem is forecast to drop by 75% during the "Fast" more than offsetting the loss in sales.