A 40-day quick or boycott goal began Wednesday when Black faith leaders called on their congregations to protest retailers’ retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The Minneapolis-based retailer joined several other major companies in late January and announced it would end its efforts to focus on DEI. The move has been met with some particularly harsh criticism from the company for its inclusive reputation, which has made it appeal to a younger, more diverse consumer base.
The boycott was because other consumer and activist groups have been pursuing a broader one-day boycott with a wider company and Minnesota activists, and Target and separate boycotts, which began to align with Black Historical Month on February 1.
The target store in Des Moines, Iowa is located in the picture.
What is the 40-day goal?
Jamal-Harrison Bryant, senior pastor of the Newborn Missionary Baptist Church in Stonixter, Georgia, called on the Black Faith Community to shop on Target for 40 days starting on March 5 in Target and on March 5. The website targetfast.org has been created to provide information.
“In recent days, we have witnessed a disturbing retreat of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives of major companies that have promised to represent justice but have since chosen a path to compromise,” said the website TargetSt.Fast.org. “As people of faith, we cannot remain silent. We are asked to resist systems of permanent exclusion and inequality.”
The website continues to say that Black America is “a strong consumer with amazing brand loyalty. It’s frustrating to see the long-term relationship we betray our company at companies we’re heavily supported, such as McDonald’s Ford, Amazon, Meta and Walmart.”
“The biggest insult comes from Target, which promises to spend more than $2 billion on black-owned businesses by the end of 2025, only to find out that Target stopped the program at the beginning of the year. Blacks spend more than $12 million a day on Target,” TargetStfast.org said.
Kobe’s group called on 100,000 black Americans to promise not to shop at Target for 40 days. Consumers who sign the promise on the website will get a digital business directory from the Black Chamber of Commerce, including 300,000 black-owned businesses and a 40-day prayer diary. Participants are also encouraged to sell any target stock they may have.
The action sets out four objectives for:
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Sacrifice the Black business community’s $2 billion commitment by purchasing products, services and making Black media purchases.
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$250 million was deposited in 23 black banks.
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Completely restore retailers’ commitment to DEI.
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Create community centers at 10 HBCU (historically Black Colleges and Universities) to teach retail operations at all levels.
Target reports sales decline in February
For retailers, the goal is to have a 40-day goal in difficult times. On Tuesday’s earnings call, Target reported that its sales fell slightly in February. Minnesota activists nationwide boycott protests against Target’s DEI initiative rollback targets began on February 1, another consumer group was more widespread in the one-day economic blackout on February 28.
“Given consumer uncertainty in February and a small decline in net sales in February, coupled with tariff uncertainty and the expected time for certain costs in the fiscal year, the company expects its annual profit pressure to make sense relative to the first quarter of the remaining year,” Target said in a press release. The company’s CEO Brian Cornell also warned that prices could rise within a few days due to new tariffs imposed on Mexican and Canadian goods.
Target has not responded to multiple comments about boycotts to retailers.
On February 28, the economic power outage: What is the result of the economic power outage on February 28? Check which data is displayed.
Target’s traffic has fallen, according to one company. Placer.ai uses panels of tens of millions of devices and uses machine learning to estimate in-store access across the country.
Compared to January, Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Best Buy, Best Buy, McDonalds and Starbucks all fell in February. The traffic decline in target population was the largest, down 9%, while the increase was 3.6% in January. McDonald’s then fell 8.7% and rose 2.1% in January.
Walmart’s abortion fell 5.8% in February, while January rose 3.0%, while Best Buy’s abortion fell 6.8% in February, and January rose 0.4%.
Costco gained additional support from some consumers after its board of directors voted in favor of efforts to reduce diversity, equity and inclusion, up 7.9% in January and 2.2% in February.
“Placer.ai’s data shows that many retailers have seen year-on-year declines in weekly visits in February 2025, due to laid back spending, declining consumer confidence, uncertainty in the economy and tariffs, and untimely cold weather,” RJ Hottovy, head of analytical research at placer.ai.
Joseph Feldman, an analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, said in a notice to clients last week that Placer.ai data on targeted streams “showed a significant decline in traffic between late January and mid-February after the company exited DEI.”
Can boycott oppose target work?
It makes sense that the goal is because “in 2020, the goal is to strengthen their dei efforts especially after the murder of George Floyd, as it is in Minneapolis, where their base is.”
Merians Poinsoza told USA Today that Target has a market share of about 18% for black consumers and its core audience is about 38%. She said the two groups tend to shop for companies that are aligned with their faith, “so the goal eliminates their efforts to align them with their core audience. This could cause serious damage to revenue in the long run.”
As Target took such an important position on DEI’s efforts, retreating from them “almost felt like a personal Afront,” Merians Poinsoza said.
The target also faces additional pressure from tariffs and reduces consumer demand, she said.
What other boycotts are planned?
40-day fast is one of several plans for different groups. The boycott target began on February 1st, which matched the Black Historical Month. It was initiated by Minneapolis civil rights activists who were frustrated that Target overturned the DEI program.
Comedian and actress Leslie Jones has outlined another boycott that lasts until the end of the year on Instagram. It encourages consumers to buy directly from black-owned businesses and conducts planned protests against Amazon, Target and Walmart in some months.
The Latino community also used the #LatinoFreeze hashtag to be active on social media, encouraging supporters to “hold the DEI initiative’s freeze, reducing funding for National Institutes of Health and immigration actions.
The campaign encourages Latino Americans to shop for essentials only and consider where to buy, with a focus on supporting “Latino, Black American, and allied American businesses that support this campaign.”
Pastor Al Sharpton and the National Action Network also hosted a number of “buyers” to bring supporters to Costco to spend money to support the company’s board, which voted to stop the DEI initiative.
The National Action Network also said in a press release that it would lead a strategic boycott of “abandoning their promised two companies under public pressure”. No details have been released yet.
The People’s Alliance of America is an organization founded by John Swartz, who organized the February 28th blackout and has since expanded its boycott. Swatz said it includes boycotting various companies and retailers over various periods, including Amazon (March 7-14), Nestlé (March 21-28), Walmart (April 7-14) and the second slim-off of the day on April 18, which could expand to weekend events, Schwartz for a weekend event. A website at thepeoplesunionusa.com has more information about the group’s efforts.
Resist work?
Resistance will produce different results.
Conservative activists have successfully rallyed in recent years, forcing retailers and companies to curb DEI efforts by hosting boycotts of damage sales.
The professor had previously told USA Today that boycotts can successfully humiliate a company to reverse decisions or take action, but they don’t always work. They say clear requirements need to be outlined. but cOnsumers do like being able to act on their strong feelings.
The one-day economic outage on February 28 is interesting because it comes from many different audiences at the same time, but Merians Poinsa said she is not sure if it has any real impact, except for the symbolic people.
“I think the whole crowd is coming together and saying ‘We won’t be shopping on this brand for 40 days is influential,’ she said. “It will expand to only that audience and everyone who sympathizes with that audience will also be involved, so it has a greater impact.
Merians Poinsoza said the outcome will also depend on the action that attracted widespread attention and media attention.
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA Today. Contact her at blinfisher@usatoday.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free Daily Currency Newsletter that includes Friday’s consumer news.
This article originally appeared in USA Today: Lent, so the goal will soon be a 40-day shop boycott
