By Anne D’Innocenzio, The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Target’s chief executive officer met last week with the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose civil rights organization has encouraged consumers to avoid U.S. retailers that scaled backed their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Sharpton called the meeting with Target CEO Brian Cornell “very constructive and candid,” according to an update from his National Action Network. Two other NAN representatives, National Board Chair Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson and Senior Advisor Carra Wallace, also attended the meeting at the organization’s New York headquarters.
“I am going to inform our allies, including Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, of our discussion, what my feelings are, and we will go from there,” Sharpton said in a statement.
Bryant, an Atlanta area pastor, organized a website called targetfast.org to recruit Christians for a 40-day Target boycott. Other faith leaders endorsed the protest, which started with the beginning of Lent on March 5.
Bryant, who leads the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, shared in a recent Facebook post that phase two of the boycott, which ended last week, will be revealed on Sunday.
“Almost 200k have joined the movement and the momentum is still growing! They’ve lost billions, stock has dropped, foot traffic is silent and @target still hasn’t budged,” Bryant said in his post. “This weekend 100 vendors are coming to @newbirthmbc to set up the Bullseye Black market. We need you to pull up. Sunday, I announce next steps!”
A National Action Network spokesperson confirmed earlier last week that Sharpton, the group’s founder and president, planned to meet Cornell in New York. CNBC first reported the news.
A Target spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Target is among a slew of companies, including Walmart, Amazon, and PepsiCo, which have eliminated policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity among their employees and reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women, and LGBTQ+ people.
After returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump moved to end DEI programs within the federal government. He has warned schools to do the same or risk losing federal money.
The National Action Network said Sharpton met last week with PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta and Steven Williams, the CEO of PepsiCo North America, to “get clarity on its stance on DEI, whether they were shutting down their commitments due to pressure from Trump and right-wing activists, and the path moving forward.”
Earlier this month, Sharpton gave PepsiCo three weeks to meet with him — or suffer a boycott — to discuss reversing the company’s recent move to do away with its DEI initiatives.
The National Action Network said last week that Sharpton planned to consult the organization’s board members over the Easter holiday “to determine any next steps with Target, PepsiCo, and other companies that have scaled back their DEI programs or pledges.”
Target announced on Jan. 24 that it would conclude the DEI goals it had set to increase Black employees’ representation and advancement, improve Black shoppers’ experiences and promote Black-owned businesses. The company also said it planned to stop submitting reports for external diversity surveys.
It is also “further evaluating our corporate partnerships to ensure they are directly connected to our roadmap for growth,” according to a memo posted on its website.
A number of other boycotts were launched against retailers that have pulled back on DEI.
First published April 22, 2025
