Pastor Jamal Bryant Calls for National Boycott of Target over DEI Rollbacks

Georgia megachurch pastor Jamal Bryant has urged for a complete boycott of Target over the company’s decision to scale back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Bryant, who leads New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, declined Target’s proposal to resolve the disagreement by committing to invest $2 billion in black-owned businesses by July 31.
Earlier, Target CEO Brian Cornell had a “very constructive” meeting in New York City with Reverend Al Sharpton, as reported by The Christian Post.
Sharpton stated, “This morning, I had a very constructive and candid meeting with Brian Cornell that included NAN National Board Chair Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson and NAN Senior Advisor Carra Wallace. I will inform our allies, including Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, of our discussion, my sentiments, and we will proceed accordingly.”
Meanwhile, Bryant informed his congregation on Sunday that he had a different takeaway from the meeting. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen, you may have already read the report about a meeting that took place, and I wanted to share the results with you. We had four requests and only achieved one. I will tell you what that one thing is. Target has agreed to fulfill the commitment of $2 billion for black businesses by July 31.”
“But the other three requests have no commitment, and we have no grounds to stand on because they are not in agreement with us,” he added.
Bryant had previously called for a 40-day boycott of Target along with other major corporations like Walmart following President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate DEI policies that he claims “undermine our national unity,” among other issues.
Regarding the boycott’s impact, Bryant mentioned, “When we began this Target boycott, a trillion-dollar company, a Fortune 500 company, was trading on the NYSE at $138 a share. Due to our efforts, their stock price dropped from $138 to $94 per share by Friday,” despite mistakenly stating that Target is a trillion-dollar company.
As of Monday, Target shares were trading around $93.
He continued, “Foot traffic at Target has decreased by 7.9 percent. I hope you share my excitement that because of your support, Target has suffered a loss of $12 billion. You should be celebrating.”
“They tried to attribute their loss to the economy, tariffs with China, but the truth is while they were losing, Costco was gaining,” he emphasized.
Even though Costco has maintained its DEI policies, its share price has fluctuated.
The boycott, which has garnered over 200,000 backers, is part of a nationwide movement to advocate for stronger DEI commitments from major corporations.
Bryant informed his congregation, “This is a national movement, and on Tuesday, I will introduce the national committee for this Target boycott. I will present each member with their name, organization, and affiliation so that Target knows who to engage with. Not everyone represents us. These are the individuals who are aligned with our objectives and direction.”
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Cheeks Photography

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He contributes to CrosswalkHeadlines and hosts the For Your Soul Podcast, focusing on sound doctrine and biblical truths. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.

Originally published on April 23, 2025.