Nekima Levy Armstrong: Target still doesn’t get DEI — or why we’re not shopping there

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As Target faces declining sales, internal confusion and the impending retirement of CEO Brian Cornell, one truth stands out: Target still doesn’t get it.

A June 29 Star Tribune article (“Target faces serious challenges as CEO Cornell’s retirement nears”) outlined issues ranging from inflation-driven consumer shifts to investor skepticism and political blowback. But what it failed to confront — and what Target continues to sidestep — is the depth of disgust and disillusionment among Black communities and our allies who once believed in the brand’s commitment to racial equity. The truth is, Target’s wounds are self-inflicted.

After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Target publicly pledged to advance racial equity and committed $2.1 billion toward that effort. The company promised to:

These pledges were presented as a long-term investment in justice and inclusion — but years later, much of that commitment remains unfulfilled and unaccounted for.

Even worse, in response to pressure from the Trump administration and far-right forces, Target has quietly rolled back its DEI efforts, pulled inclusive displays from shelves and aligned itself with the very forces attacking democracy and racial progress.

Let’s be clear: Donald Trump’s presidential administration has fueled police militarization, attacked immigrant families through cruel deportation practices and threats to birthright citizenship, launched full-scale assaults on women’s health and reproductive justice, and emboldened white supremacists. He is actively unraveling civil rights protections — rolling back decades of progress. That is who Target has chosen to align itself with — and in doing so, the company has betrayed millions.

And the betrayal didn’t stop there.

Instead of engaging the Black organizers in the Twin Cities who launched the national Target boycott on Feb. 1, 2025 — right in front of Target’s global headquarters in downtown Minneapolis — Target held a private meeting with the Rev. Al Sharpton and also recently gave a $300,000 donation to the National Baptist Convention (NBC) — a move many view as a payoff, not a partnership. Neither Sharpton nor the NBC has been involved in organizing the boycott. That meeting was not just a slap in the face. It was an erasure of our leadership and our work.

It’s especially troubling that while women make up over 60% of Target’s customer base, the company chose to engage out-of-state Black male ministers — figures with no direct connection to the boycott — instead of the local, Black women-led coalition that actually launched it. This approach doesn’t just sideline the voices of those most impacted — it reinforces the patriarchal patterns that have long erased Black women’s leadership.

Target does not get to pick and choose who speaks for our community. We are the people who showed up. We are the ones who held the line. We have been in the streets, taking tear gas, arrests, and risks — not for applause, but for accountability.

And from the very beginning, we were not alone.

White allies stood with us from day one — because they understand that racial justice is not just a Black issue, it’s an American one. They know that DEI opens doors for women, for people of color, people with disabilities and for LGBTQ+ communities. In fact, Target’s recent missteps also deeply harmed LGBTQ+ customers and staff, many of whom felt unsafe, unseen and unwelcome.

And while the company points to having people of color in its C-suite, that is not a substitute for cultural competence. Representation without truth, accountability and power is just optics. Target’s commitment to equity appears performative and disingenuous — and the damage has been done.

Let’s not forget: DEI didn’t appear out of thin air. It was born of struggle — a direct result of decades of civil-rights organizing, advocacy, and sacrifice. Now, Trump wants to take us backward, and Target has joined him on the ride. That alone is enough to turn the stomach of anyone who still believes in justice.

Target has not only lost the trust of the Black community. They’ve also alienated a wide swath of progressive consumers — many of them women — who feel betrayed, disgusted and done.

We are still not shopping at Target.

Until there is full transparency, accountability and reparative action, this boycott remains ongoing and indefinite. It has already impacted Target’s stock price, revenues and reputation. And its legacy is becoming a cautionary tale for corporations on what not to do.

Because DEI isn’t a marketing campaign.

It’s a moral commitment.

And we’re watching who keeps theirs.

Nekima Levy Armstrong is a Twin Cities-based civil rights attorney.