NEW YORK, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Boycotts against U.S. seventh-largest retailer Target's rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are also hitting Black-owned businesses with products on the retailer's shelves, reported The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, Target, with its headquarters located about a 10-minute drive from the scene of the incident, made sweeping commitments to beef up its DEI policies and increase opportunities for Black employees, entrepreneurs and shoppers.
In January 2025, it backed off those commitments. Four days after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as president for a second term, Target said it was rolling back its DEI goals and ending several of its supplier diversity programs, "with the goal of driving growth and staying in step with the evolving external landscape."
"Target's rollback of its DEI policies prompted several organizers across the United States to call for consumers to boycott the company," noted the report.
Meanwhile, according to the report, some Black entrepreneurs, many of whom had become Target suppliers since its expanded DEI efforts in 2020, said they have seen their sales decline as a result of the boycotts, and they worry their relationship with Target is at risk.
In a written statement, a Target spokesman said that "a commitment to emerging brands is a cornerstone of Target's business. ... We'll continue working with emerging brands and creating meaningful partnerships."
