Target faces 40-day boycott for ending DEI programs as Trump tariffs take effect

A 40-day boycott against Target is beginning today as activists and customers express their disapproval of the retailer's decision to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

The boycott starts at the beginning of Lent, a Christian observance that occurs in the 40 days before Easter during which participants typically give up something they enjoy. Jamal Bryant, a reverend in Atlanta, has been calling on "conscious Christians" to participate in the boycott alongside LGBTQ+ and Black communities.

“We’re asking people to divest from Target because they have turned their back on our community,” Bryant told CNN on Tuesday ahead of the boycott.

Related:Target dropped DEI, so Minnesota’s largest Pride festival dropped Target's sponsorship — and raised even more

Target issued a memo in January announcing the end of its three-year DEI goals, including its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) program and "all external diversity-focused survey’s including HRC’s Corporate Equality index.” The Human Rights Campaign effort, which provides benchmarks on corporate policies relevant to LGBTQ+ employees, previously gave Target a score of 100 percent, dubbing the company a “Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion."

The end of DEI programs and LGBTQ+ inclusivity initiatives marked a significant shift for the Minnesota-based company, which once withstood protests from hate groups over its inclusive bathroom policies and Pride displays. However, the change was not sudden, as Target pulled some of its Pride Month merchandise in 2023 amid threats and violent protests in stores.

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Target executives said that the decision to end DEI programs was "due to changes in the landscape" — a nod to the Trump Administration, which took a hard stance against DEI in its first weeks by signing executive orders firing government employees and rescinding 1960s civil rights protections.

Target, like other companies, was already expected to face a decline in profits this quarter as Trump's tariffs on Canada and Mexico take effect. Target CEO Brian Cornell told CNBC on Tuesday that Trump’s tariffs may force the company to raise prices as early as this week.

Sarah Kate Ellis, President & CEO of GLAAD, said in a statement that "the Trump Administration's new and proposed policies aim to forcefully revoke private companies’ freedom to include and market to the largest growth consumer bases. These proposals are not the law, they do nothing but spin up negative consumer sentiment and stoke the flames of bias."

"These un-American proposals are already leading to negative impact to the bottom lines of some of America's biggest companies. Capitulating to baseless attacks like Target did does nothing to help companies, consumers, or the U.S. economy," Ellis said. "Target may blame cold weather for declining profits, but at the end of the day, they need to look inward. Now is the time for corporate leaders to lead.”