Civil rights activists call for Target boycott after DEI rollback

[Kennedy]

CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ARE PUSHING FOR A NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF TARGET OVER ITS DECISION TO PHASE OUT ITS DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION INITIATIVES.

D-E-I SUPPORTERS GATHERED OUTSIDE OF TARGET’S HEADQUARTERS IN MINNEAPOLIS THURSDAY … URGING PEOPLE TO START A BOYCOTT SATURDAY – THE FIRST DAY OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. 

THE PROTEST COMES AFTER THE RETAIL GIANT ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK IT WOULD JOIN WALMART AND A NUMBER OF OTHER STORES IN SCALING BACK D-E-I INITIATIVES … FEELING THE PRESSURE FROM CONSERVATIVE GROUPS AND PRESIDENT TRUMP’S RECENT SIGNING OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS TO END D-E-I PROGRAMS IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.  

“We thought that they would hold the line. We thought that they would continue to stand for the values that we all hold dear. But instead, they acted cowardly, and they made the decision to bow down to the Trump administration. Well, we are here today saying we will not bow down. We will not step back and we will not turn around.”

SEVERAL BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES THAT SELL THEIR PRODUCTS AT TARGET … INCLUDING THE COSMETICS COMPANY LIP BAR … HAVE EXPRESSED FEAR THEIR BOTTOM LINE WILL BE IMPACTED IF THEIR CUSTOMERS STOP SHOPPING AT TARGET STORES.

BUT SUPPORTERS OF THE BOYCOTT ARE NOW ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO SHOP DIRECTLY FROM THE BLACK-OWNED COMPANIES’ WEBSITES … INSTEAD OF PURCHASING THEIR PRODUCTS FROM TARGET. 

TARGET, WHICH HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR THE RIGHTS OF BLACK AND L-G-B-T-Q PLUS PEOPLE, HASN’T COMMENTED ON THE CALLS FOR A BOYCOTT.

IN A MEMO TO EMPLOYEES LAST WEEK, TARGET’S CHIEF COMMUNITY IMPACT AND EQUITY OFFICER, DESCRIBED THE D-E-I DECISIONS AS A “NEXT CHAPTER” IN THE COMPANY’S STRATEGY.

FOR SAN I’M KENNEDY FELTON. 

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