CHICAGO — A coalition of faith leaders gathered on State Street on Thursday to protest against corporations like Target for rolling back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives following federal crackdowns and funding cuts from President Donald Trump and his administration.
The peaceful protest, organized by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and joined by Rev. Jesse Jackson and other local faith leaders, targeted the Target location at 1 S. State St. to express solidarity with opponents of Trump’s immigration policies.
Yusef Jackson, CEO of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, expressed determination among the demonstrators. “Boycotts are difficult to do, but we’re not deterred,” he stated. “We will remain steadfast. Target, we will not break. We will get used to not spending our dollars with you. We will fast as long as the day is and as dark as a night is, and we ask that you appeal to your better sense and talk to us because we’re not boycotting or protesting or fasting against people. We’re protesting and standing up for rights against your policies.”
Following President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration, Target began to reverse its commitment to DEI initiatives that previously included promoting careers for Black team members, implementing anti-racism training, and allocating $2 billion to increase Black-owned products on their shelves. The company’s “Belonging at the Bullseye Strategy” effectively halted all three-year DEI goals in January.
In March, Jamal Bryant, a reverend at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, initiated a 40-day movement urging his congregants to refrain from shopping at Target during Lent. This local effort sparked a national boycott, gaining support from influential community leaders like Father Michael Pfleger of Saint Sabina’s.
The impact of the boycott has not gone unnoticed; Target announced a nearly 3 percent drop in net sales in May, which was followed by a decline in its stock prices. Bryant remarked that the boycott transcends a mere department store grievance and speaks to broader societal issues. “This is the America that we thought we changed, the America that we thought shifted. The reality is that scores of African Americans and like-minded people of conscience recognize that America is out of order. It’s broken. That something has to happen,” he said to the crowd.
During the protest, faith leaders presented Target officials with four key demands: to reimagine what DEI looks like, establish 10 retail training centers at Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs), fulfill the $2 billion pledge to the Black business community, and invest $250 million in 23 Black-owned banks.
Company officials have responded to these demands, affirming their commitment to the $2 billion pledge and promising to provide a written plan outlining the distribution of the funds by June 30.
In April, Bryant and civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton met with corporate representatives to initiate discussions, only for those same officials to later be “summoned to the White House.” According to Bryant, the faith leaders have not heard back from Target officials in four weeks.
“Today, we wanted them to know that we will not go away quietly,” Bryant stated at the rally. “That we still believe that diplomacy is the call of the day. That there is still an avenue, a window, of conversation for us to move forward. We are not going to live up to the narrative that the administration is hoping for.”
Target has experienced a significant decline in sales and customer traffic in 2025. The company has cited both tariffs and the ongoing boycott as factors contributing to this downturn.
“Black people spend in the orbit of $12 million a day at Target,” Bryant noted during the protest. He emphasized that the Black community deserves to be treated as equal partners in discussions about the direction of the company.
“We are not groveling today. We are not tap dancing today,” he asserted. “We look Target in the eye asking for parity and asking for equality because we’re good enough for you to take our dollars. Be good enough to extend dignity.”
image source from：https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/06/13/jesse-jackson-and-pastors-rally-to-remind-chicagoans-to-boycott-target-after-dei-rollback/
