Target’s chief executive officer plans to meet this week with the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose civil rights organization has encouraged consumers to avoid U.S. retailers that scaled backed their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
A National Action Network spokesperson on Thursday confirmed Sharpton planned to see Target CEO Brian Cornell in New York but declined to provide any details about the meeting, which was first reported by CNBC.
A Target spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Target is among a slew of companies, including Walmart, Amazon and PepsiCo, that have eliminated policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity among their employees and reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
After returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump moved to end DEI programswithin the federal government. He has warned schools to do the same or risk losing federal money.
Earlier this month, Sharpton gave PepsiCo three weeks to meet with him — or suffer a boycott — to discuss reversing the company’s recent move to do away with its DEI initiatives. Sharpton reported Monday that PepsiCo leaders agreed to meet with National Action Network representatives this week.
Target announced on Jan. 24 that it would conclude the DEI goals it had set to increase Black employees’ representation and advancement, improve Black shoppers’ experiences and promote Black-owned businesses. The company also said it planned to stop submitting reports for external diversity surveys.
It is also “further evaluating our corporate partnerships to ensure they are directly connected to our roadmap for growth,” according to a memo posted on its website.
A number of boycotts were launched of retailers that have pulled back on DEI. Some of the boycotts zeroed in on Target.
An Atlanta-area pastor, the Rev. Jamal Bryant, organized a website called targetfast.org to recruit Christians for a a 40-day Target boycott that started March 5, which marked Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Other faith leaders endorsed the protest.
