Pastor Ends Target Boycott After Key Concessions

Rev. Jamal Bryant, a prominent Atlanta pastor, announced the end of a yearlong nationwide boycott against Target on March 11, 2026, at a press conference in Washington, D.C., claiming the campaign had secured significant concessions from the retailer on commitments to Black-owned businesses and community investments. The announcement, however, highlighted divisions within the activist community, as organizers in Minneapolis vowed to continue their parallel boycott until Target reverses its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

The boycott stemmed from Target's decision in late January 2025 to scale back several DEI initiatives, including ending goals for supplier diversity and ceasing participation in external diversity reporting. The changes came days after President Donald Trump's inauguration and his executive order targeting such programs across corporate America. Target had previously pledged $2.1 billion in 2020 to support racial equity, including $2 billion in spending with Black-owned businesses by 2025 and over $100 million in community investments, following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

Two distinct but overlapping boycott efforts...