Despite recent headlines suggesting a nationwide boycott of Target has ended, organizers behind the original protest say the movement remains very much active.
Founders of the National Target Boycott recently gathered outside Target’s corporate headquarters in Minneapolis to reaffirm that the boycott – launched more than a year ago over the company’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives – is continuing nationwide.
The boycott began Feb. 1, 2025, organized by Minneapolis-based activists Dr. Nekima Levy Armstrong, Jaylani Hussein, and Monique Cullars-Doty, following weeks of organizing by Minnesota community leaders.
The grassroots campaign calls on consumers, churches, and institutions to stop shopping at Target until the company restores and strengthens its commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Let’s be clear: the Target boycott is not over. This movement continues until
Dr. Nekima Levy Armstrong, boycott co-founder
accountability is real.”
“Let’s be clear: the Target boycott is not over,” Levy Armstrong said during the Minneapolis press conference. “This is a grassroots movement led by communities demanding corporate accountability, and we will not stop until Target reverses its retreat from diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Confusion about the boycott’s status emerged after a separate press conference in Washington, D.C., where Atlanta pastor Rev. Jamal Bryant announced the conclusion of a 40-day fast tied to his criticism of Target’s DEI decisions.
Bryant framed the moment as a victory for economic activism.
“A whole generation has not seen an effective boycott,” Bryant said. “We are claiming victory … and I believe that our generation needs to see victory.”
But organizers of the original boycott say Bryant’s action helped amplify attention to the issue but did not represent the leadership or direction of the national boycott effort.
“The facts are simple: Target has not reversed its decisions, it has not met the demands of the boycott, and therefore the boycott continues,” said Hussein. “Communities across the country are still choosing not to shop at Target.”
Cullars-Doty echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that the strength of the movement lies with everyday consumers.
“The power of this movement is in everyday consumers who are refusing to support a company that walked away from its commitments to equity,” she said. “Until those commitments are restored, the boycott continues.”
The boycott began after Target scaled back several diversity initiatives that had been expanded in the years following the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In recent weeks, activists say pressure on the company has intensified, pointing to declining revenues, reduced store foot traffic, layoffs affecting more than 2,000 workers, declining stock performance and leadership upheaval that included the departure of the company’s CEO.
Target has also faced criticism from some activists who say the company has not adequately addressed the concerns that sparked the boycott.
Activist Tamika Mallory said she wants a public apology from Target CEO Michael Fiddelke.
“As a billion-dollar company, you cannot harm people in public and then apologize in private,” Mallory said.
Others say the damage to consumer trust may already be permanent.
“I am not encouraging people to go back and shop at Target,” said Nina Turner, a former Ohio state lawmaker, during the Washington news conference. “It really is a sin and shame that it took them this long to get to this point.”
On social media, some consumers echoed that sentiment, saying their decision to stop shopping at the retailer has become permanent.
“We’ll never go back,” one Instagram user wrote. “It’s not a boycott — we’re just done.”
Target recently reiterated its commitment to a $2 billion pledge to Black-owned businesses, but some activists say the move may have come too late to win back customers lost during the boycott.
Target declined to comment.
Organizers say the boycott will continue until the company restores and strengthens its commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.More information about the boycott can be found at NationalTargetBoycott.com.
