Target Boycott Sparks Protest for May 25: What to Know

A group boycotting Target is preparing for a protest in Georgia on the fifth anniversary of the death of George Floyd.

Why It Matters

Reverend Jamal Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, has led a boycott coined “Target Fast” in response to the company’s elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles and lack of investment in Black-owned banks, businesses and education.

The upcoming boycott on May 25 is correlated with the fifth anniversary of the killing of Floyd, which sparked national protests, investigations, and a broader discussion about race and policing in America. A jury later found Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder.

What To Know

Bryant told church attendees on Sunday that he and others planned to peacefully protest at noon outside a Target in Conyers, Georgia, on May 25, alongside 67 other national churches that will hold their own protests, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.

“New Birth is standing 10 toes down outside of Target, and we’re gonna do it for 9 minutes and 40 seconds—the same amount of time they applied pressure that led to his death,” Bryant said in a Facebook reel posted Monday. “But we’re standing for life, liberty, justice for all. We want you to come and stand with us.”

Newsweek reached out to Bryant and the affiliated movements, as well as Target, for comment.

The TargetFast website says it has more than 200,000 supporters who have pledged not to shop at Target for various reasons.

The movement’s four demands include the following:

• Honoring the $2 billion pledge to the Black business community through purchasing Black-owned products and services, and investing in Black media.
• Depositing $250 million across 23 Black-owned banks to strengthen Black financial institutions.
• Establishing community retail centers at 10 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to educate and empower future Black entrepreneurs.
• Fully restoring and recommitting to DEI at every level of the company.

Earlier this year, Target announced that it would dissolve its program to help Black workers build their careers and end DEI-related policies. Other companies, such as Amazon and Google, have made similar moves.

The Target Fast website, which includes an uninterrupted stock ticker that shows consumer impact on Target and other companies, says that Target’s valuation has fallen by $2 billion and that stock has fallen roughly 57 percent, equating to a loss of more than $4 billion since January 2024.

It also claims some responsibility for dwindling foot traffic and online purchases. According to Placer.ai, foot traffic at Target stores dropped 4.7 percent year-on-year for the week beginning April 7.

It’s been a tale of two companies with different policies, as Costco, which resisted public pressure to roll back its diversity plans, saw its 16th consecutive week of rising foot traffic that week.

Data for the full month of February showed Target traffic down 6.5 percent year-on-year, while it jumped 7.5 percent for Costco.

“This is now a boycott & wake up call!” the TargetFast website reads. “We challenge every Black consumer to see each dollar as a vote. Each purchase as a proclamation. Each moment of resistance as a step toward collective liberation.

“This is not about canceling; it’s about clarifying our convictions. Not about division, but about direction. Not just resistance, but renewal.”

This boycott coincides with others that have made the rounds nationally throughout the first five months of this year.

Since February, the grassroots, nonpartisan group People’s Union USA has pushed economic boycotts of some of the country’s biggest companies, vowing to protect the American working class from “the greed and corruption that’s kept us divided, distracted, and struggling for decades.” They have also scolded companies for departing from DEI principles.

What People Are Saying

Reverend Jamal Bryant, on the movement’s website in April, after pushing for a more prolonged boycott: “We are entering a new phase of this movement. What began as the Target FAST—a moral witness and urgent call for justice—now evolves into a full Target BOYCOTT. This shift marks not an end, but a deepening of our commitment to justice and accountability.”

The People’s Union founder, John Schwarz, in early May: “We are targeting individual companies who are the biggest offenders. Amazon is coming up for round two, Walmart’s coming up for round two. We’ve got Target coming up [in June], which we’re going to be calling just to the end of Target—they’ve had their chance, they’re not budging.

“It’s time to just put them out of business, and we’re gonna escalate on a few companies after the Fourth of July. We’ll get there. Right now, this is what we’re doing: strategic economic resistance with a point and demands that we the people want to see met.”

What Happens Next

Bryant and his supporters say that the movement’s initial Target boycott, meant to coincide with the 40-day Lenten season, was just the “foundation” for pushing back and nowhere near “the finish line.”

“This is the beginning of a new era of intentional action, bold partnerships, and spiritual power,” the Target Fast website reads.