The Target Fast is Over, But the Fight Isn’t: Leaders Reveal Progress and Work Ahead

President Donald Trump eliminated DEI at the federal level at the beginning of his second term. In response, major American corporations, including Target and McDonald’s fell in line. After walking back their commitment to DEI, Black folks decided to take a stand.

The Root spoke exclusively with Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant, activist Tamika Mallory and Nina Bryant, former Democratic Senator from Ohio, about the impact of Black consumers cutting ties with Target for more than a year and how they plan to move forward.

As various reports suggest the Target fast cost the company somewhere between $12 to 15 billion in market value, Pastor Bryant called watching the Black community flex its cooperative economic muscle in the face of a corporate giant the greatest joy of the journey.

“Aside from the revenue lost by Target, the upsurge of emphasis on supporting Black businesses is awe-inspiring,” he said. “While unemployment is rising, entrepreneurship is surging. Collectively, our community represents the 12th wealthiest nation in the world, and now is the time for us to use it for development, not just consumption.”

But while Black consumers made a serious statement with their wallets, Tamika Mallory pointed out that the boycott had a direct impact on the Black-owned brands and partners Target does business with. She says more could have been done to notify business owners in advance and allow them time to plan for other ways to reach customers.

“Although not all of the companies were connected to Target through DEI, many still experienced an immediate loss of revenue,” she said. “When the boycott began, we made a very intentional effort to encourage people to support those brands directly. That effort also revealed challenges. Many entrepreneurs did not yet have fully developed websites or the distribution systems needed to quickly scale direct-to-consumer sales.”

Mallory added that Black business owners should be prepared for self-sustainability.

“Our next generation of Black entrepreneurs cannot only be shelf-ready for major retailers…they must also be prepared for building businesses that can thrive even when the decisions of major corporations suddenly change the landscape,” she said.

When asked what rebuilding trust with the Black community looks like, Nina Turner says it should start with an acknowledgment that harm has been done, including an apology from CEO Michael Fiddelke, who took over for Brian Cornell, who stepped down in August 2025 after 11 years in the position.

“One of the most important actions Michael Fiddelke can take is to publicly acknowledge and apologize to the Black community. In the same way that the company proudly announced that it was backing away from diversity, equity and inclusion based on political pressures and bigotry,” she said. “He must affirm the company’s commitment and issue a public apology. And that apology must lead to tangible results that build, benefit and add to the collective good of the Black community which includes employees, affiliates and brand owners.”

As ICE raids continue to impact cities like Minneapolis, where Target is headquartered, Turner said the company should do its part to make sure its customers and employees are safe.

“It is Target’s and every business’ responsibility to create an environment where a customer or an employee can be safe and their civil rights and civil liberties protected, otherwise they should close their doors. Our human rights don’t end in the parking lot, and in this truth we can expand and strengthen our coalition around every issue we face,” she said.

Looking ahead, Pastor Bryant said that while he is grateful that Target has committed to invest $2 billion in the Black community moving forward, he adds that he plans to keep the lines of communication open to ensure they don’t forget an important segment of their customer base.

“Accountability is key. We have agreed to keep a transparent relationship going forward with respect to consistency and oversight. Integrity is important even in a Trump era,” he said.