Pastor calls for ‘electronic protest’ against Dollar General over DEI rollback

The pastor at a Black church in Georgia is calling on people to protest Dollar General electronically for abandoning DEI initiatives. — Image credit: Paras Griffin via Getty Images

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Summary

Call to action

The pastor of a Black church based in Georgia is calling on Americans to launch an “electronic protest” against Dollar General in response to the company rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Effort

The campaign urges people – particularly Black Americans – to flood Dollar General’s phone lines, email accounts, and social media platforms with messages demanding the reinstatement of DEI programs.

Impact

The protests could have ripple effects across the more than 20,000 Dollar General locations operating in the United States.

Full story

A Georgia pastor known for organizing boycotts over corporate diversity rollbacks is now targeting Dollar General. But instead of a traditional economic boycott, this time, he’s calling for a coordinated “electronic protest.” The effort began Wednesday, May 28, according to USA Today.

How will the protest be done?

Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, told USA Today that the protest will involve overwhelming Dollar General’s digital and phone communication channels with messages urging the company to reverse its decision on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.

“Like other corporations, Dollar General has bowed to the pressure from the Trump administration and rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” Bryant said. “Dollar General also needs to be held accountable for failing to invest in the very Black and low-income communities that make up the backbone of their customer base.”

Why go electronic?

Bryant acknowledged that while some may want to boycott the store, many Americans, especially in underserved areas, don’t have the option.

He pointed out that Dollar General locations often operate in “food deserts,” where access to fresh produce is limited or nonexistent. “So we’ll be shifting the approach… so that we can really make an impact without having an adverse impact on those who really need a Dollar General,” Bryant said.

According to the retailer’s website, Dollar General operates more than 20,000 stores across the United States.

Taking note from other protests

Bryant compared this digital strategy to activist pressure on other brands, including Tesla.

“The reality is the amount of people who protest Tesla dealerships, those people don’t drive Teslas,” Bryant told USA Today. “The impact of the brand is still tarnished, so we think we’ve found there’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

Pressure campaign on Target

Bryant also continues to lead a separate boycott of Target, which began during Lent and was originally dubbed the “Target Fast.” That campaign has since been rebranded as “Target Blackout” and will continue indefinitely.

“Target is canceled since they betrayed and walked away from our community, and we’re gone from there,” Bryant said in the USA Today interview.

Target has faced multiple boycotts over its DEI policies. One protest launched in February – coinciding with Black History Month – was organized by civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong of the Racial Justice Network.

Armstrong said the company’s decision to scale back DEI programs, including efforts to support Black-owned businesses, felt like a betrayal to many of its loyal Black customers.

Dollar General and Target’s response

Dollar General has not publicly responded to Bryant’s latest protest.

But Target, in a statement to The Hill, said, “Target is absolutely dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone– our team members, our guests and our supply partners.”

Jason Morrell (Morning Managing Editor) and Jack Henry (Video Editor) contributed to this report.

Tags: Boycott, DEI, Diversity and inclusion programs, Donald Trump, Economy, Protests, Target, Trump administration, U.S. Dollar, U.S. Economy

A GEORGIA PASTOR KNOWN FOR ORGANIZING FOR BOYCOTTS OVER D-E-I ROLLBACKS IS TARGETING DOLLAR GENERAL.

BUT RATHER THAN A TRADITIONAL BOYCOTT, HE’S CALLING FOR AN ‘ELECTRONIC PROTEST.’

THE EFFORT KICKED OFF WEDNESDAY, ACCORDING TO THE U-S-A TODAY. PASTOR JAMAL-HARRISON BRYANT, OF NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH IN STONECREST, GEORGIA, TELLS THE NEWSPAPER, THE PROTEST INVOLVES OVERWHELMING DOLLAR GENERAL’S DIGITAL AND PHONE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS. IN AN EFFORT TO PRESSURE THE STORE INTO REINSTATING D-E-I POLICIES.

BRYANT TALKED TO C-N-N FOR HIS FIRST TELEVISION INTERVIEW SINCE ANNOUNCING HIS PROTEST. HE EXPLAINED WHY HE’S TARGETING DOLLAR GENERAL.

WE CHOSE DOLLAR GENERAL, QUITE FRANKLY, AS YOU MENTIONED, THEY’RE THREE TIMES LARGER THAN TARGET AND WALMART COMBINED, AND HAVE NEVER GIVEN TO ANY ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. DOLLAR GENERAL IS WITHIN FIVE MILES OF 75 PERCENT OF AMERICANS HOMES AND STILL NO ACCOUNTABILITY. THEY ARE A CONTRIBUTOR TO FOOD DESERTS, NOT JUST IN THE ABSENCE OF FOOD, BUT SENSE OF FAIRNESS. SO WE WANTED TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.

BRYANT ALSO TELLS U-S-A TODAY, DOLLAR GENERAL “BOWED TO THE PRESSURE OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION… AND ROLLED BACK THEIR DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION INITIATIVES.”

BRYANT ACKNOWLEDGES WHILE SOME MAY WANT TO BOYCOTT THE STORE, MANY AMERICANS, ESPECIALLY IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, DON’T HAVE THAT OPTION.

HE POINTED OUT DOLLAR GENERAL OFTEN OPERATES IN SO-CALLED ‘FOOD DESERTS.’ THESE ARE AREAS WHERE FRESH PRODUCE IS SCARCE OR NONEXISTENT. HE SAYS THE STRATEGY SHIFTED SO PEOPLE IN THESE REGION WOULDN’T BE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED.

DOLLAR GENERAL’S WEBSITE SAYS THE RETAILER OPERATES MORE THAN 20-THOUSAND STORES NATIONWIDE.

BRYANT IS ALSO CONTINUING HIS SEPARATE BOYCOTT OF TARGET. THAT BEGAN IN DURING LENT AND WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED THE “TARGET FAST” SINCE REBRANDED TO THE “TARGET BLACKOUT.”

TARGET HAS FACED MULTIPLE BOYCOTTS, INCLUDING ONE LAUNCHED DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH WHICH IS ONGOING. THE CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY AND FOUNDER OF THE RACIAL JUSTICE WORKER, WHO ORGANIZED THE FIRST BOYCOTT, SAYS THE STORES DECISION TO ROLLBACK D-E-I POLICY, INCLUDING SUPPORT FOR BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS, IS SEEN AS A BETRAYAL TO BLACK CUSTOMERS.

DOLLAR GENERAL HAS YET TO RESPOND TO BRYANT’S PROTEST. BUT TARGET, SAID IN A STATEMENT TO THE HILL, IT “IS ABSOLUTELY DEDICATED TO FOSTERING INCLUSIVITY FOR EVERYONE– OUR TEAM MEMBERS, OUR GUESTS AND SUPPLY PARTNERS.”

Why this story matters

Community-led efforts to hold major retailers accountable for scaling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives highlight ongoing debates over corporate social responsibility and the complex role businesses play in marginalized communities.

Corporate DEI policies

The reduction or elimination of DEI initiatives by large retailers such as Dollar General and Target has prompted public scrutiny over corporations' commitments to addressing racial and economic disparities, as reported by sources including USA TODAY and The Hill.

Community activism

Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant and other community leaders are employing coordinated protest methods—including electronic campaigns—to pressure businesses to reinvest in the communities they serve, reflecting changing strategies in social activism.

Access and equity

The decision not to call for a full boycott of Dollar General, given its presence in food deserts, underscores the complicated relationship between corporate behavior and the real-life needs of underserved populations, as noted in both left- and center-leaning sources.

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Context corner

DEI programs have become more visible in corporate America post-2020, especially following widespread protests against racial injustice. In recent years, several companies have begun to reconsider or reduce these initiatives amid shifting political pressures and backlash, setting the stage for new forms of consumer activism among communities seeking corporate accountability on social priorities.

History lesson

Consumer-led boycotts have historically been used by marginalized communities to demand economic and social change, from the Montgomery Bus Boycott of the 1950s to more recent campaigns. The current movement echoes past efforts where financial pressure was applied to influence corporate or public policy around civil rights and equality.

Oppo research

Critics of the boycott, especially on social media, have described Rev. Bryant’s approach as performative or even self-serving. As cited by some right-leaning sources, detractors compared him to other high-profile activists and questioned whether targeting a retailer serving low-income communities could have unintended negative consequences for those he aims to help.