While there hasn’t been much post boycott press about the effects of the Fri., Feb. 28 economic boycott, some indicators are beginning to show some success.
In Wichita, several restaurants saw huge crowds in support of the focus on Black businesses pushed from the economic boycott campaign.
“Ya’ll really showed out,” posted one restaurant on their social page. “Yesterday was big blessings to local businesses…. We thank y’all in the most humblest way.”
Another restaurant was equally grateful but hoped it wasn’t just a one-time and done.
Support of Black Businesses
That’s the same message from other Black suppliers, who are hoping for an ongoing growth in their product sales. The campaign has encouraged a push to buy black-owned products online, something that’s particularly important for black-owned companies who have been lucky enough to have their brands on the shelves of major retailers.
Tabitha Brown who has her clothing, hair care and vegan food lines on shelves in Target. She speaks for herself and other black-owned brands in stores that are being boycotted, when she says an increase in online sales is great, but it won’t make up for the sales they’ll lose during the boycott. The numbers just don’t add up.
Despite the growing boom in online shopping, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Retail E-commere sales report, online sales are only 18% of all consumer sales, excluding groceries, in the United States.
Brown took to Instagram with this message.
“As disheartening as it is for me, I’m not the only one affected by this,” said Brown, “It’s for everyone who is a woman-owned business, minority-owned businesses, Black-owned businesses…. Contrary to whatever the world might tell you, it has been very hard for Black-owned businesses to hit shelves.
“I understand the desire to boycott, but it’s going to hurt a lot of Black businesses,” said Victoria Christopher Murray, whose book “The First Ladies” was a Target Book of the Year. “Target is a major distributor of Black books. When those sales are gone, it will have a minimal blip on the Target radar and leave tons of Black entrepreneurs in its destructive wake.”
Targeting Target
NNPA, the national membership organization of America’s Black newpapers, has ramped up a boycott campaign almost single-handidly directed at Target.
They’re joined in their single focused approach by Pastor Jamal Bryant, from the Atlanta suburb of Stonecrest, GA, whose “Don’t Shop at Target” videos went viral online.
According to Pastor Bryant, Black people spend $12 million a day at Target.
Target once touted its commitment to DEI, a promise that seemed particularly important to a company headquartered in the city where the police killing of George Floyd set off a wave of protests around the world. In 2022, the company set a goal of making a financial commitment of more than $2 billion to Black-owned businesses by 2025 and to have more than 500 Black-owned brands in its stores.
The company has said it was on track to meet its goals and it showed on their store shelves.
But now that Trump has been on the DEI attack, Target has joined others in scaling back its DEI efforts. The move prompted one of the most vocal calls for a boycott. Led by Pastor Bryant, and picked up nationally, the initial campaign was for a month-long boycott on shopping at Target
Now, Bryant has called for a boycott of Target through the end of Lent, or April 17 and NNPA doesn’t seem at all interested in ending their campaign against shopping at Target.
The DEI Pullback
In the wake of corporations scaling back their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Black activists, clergy, and consumers are turning to boycotts for economic resistance. Major companies, including Target, Disney and Wells Fargo have quietly retreated from commitments made after the racial reckoning of 2020, sparking frustration and calls for accountability. But do Black-led boycotts have the power to effect lasting change?
For many companies, the retreat from DEI programs is often attributed to political pressure, financial concerns and shifting corporate priorities. Conservative pushback, including lawsuits challenging race-conscious programs, has made some companies cautious. Others cite economic downturns as a reason to deprioritize DEI funding. But for many Black consumers, these shifts feel like broken promises.
“Corporations saw DEI as a public relations strategy, not a core value,” says Houston business analyst Angela Matthews. “Once the heat died down, many chose to scale back. That’s where consumer power comes in.”
Target once touted its commitment to DEI, a promise that seemed particularly important to a company headquartered in the city where the police killing of George Floyd set off a wave of protests around the world. In 2022, the company set a goal of making a financial commitment of more than $2 billion to Black-owned businesses by 2025 and to have more than 500 Black-owned brands in its stores. The company has said it was on track to meet its goals.
That was until Trump. Now, Target has joined others in scaling back its DEI efforts. The move prompted one of the most vocal calls for a boycott. On February 1, a national boycott of Target launched to coincide with Black History Month.
Boycott Impact?
Target has experienced a slight downturn in their sales, but most of that was last year’s sales, where Target received a lot of backlash for its support of LGBTQ products in their store.
It’s too early this year to judge the impact of the boycotts on any of the retailer’s sales. However, with over $188 trillion in buying power, a Black economic boycott could theoretically have a major impact on a retailer. call could have a major
“Boycotts can force corporations to listen—if they’re sustained and well-organized,” Matthews said.
Research supports this. A study from the Kellogg School of Management found that boycotts don’t necessarily need to hurt sales to be impactful. Instead, they succeed when they generate negative press and shift public perception.
The Power and Limitation of Boycotts
Black consumer activism has historically yielded results. The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–56 desegregated public transportation, and more recently the backlash against brands like Gucci and H&M led to public apologies and increased DEI commitments.
However, not all boycotts succeed. Some fizzle due to lack of coordination or unintended consequences.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network have also organized “buy-cotts,” directing supporters to companies like Costco, which has upheld its DEI commitments.
Meanwhile, the NAACP is tracking corporate compliance with DEI pledges and urging Black consumers to support brands that honor their promises.
Influencer Danisha Carter recently criticized short-term boycotts.
“Staging a boycott for three days just tells the company to move money around temporarily,” she said in an Instagram video. “We need longer commitments.”
The People’s Union USA, a grassroots movement advocating for economic resistance, argues that collective action over time is key.
“If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message,” the organization stated. “But sustained action is where real change happens.”
Some boycotts have unintended fallout, especially for Black-owned brands stocked in major retailers. When Nike faced conservative-led boycotts over its support of Colin Kaepernick, Black business owners selling Nike products saw their sales impacted, as well. Some have fizzled due to lack of coordination or unintended consequences, like harming Black employees and entrepreneurs who rely on these corporations for their livelihoods.
Malik Johnson, a marketing manager at a Fortune 500 company, sees both sides.
“I work for one of these companies and advocate for change from within,” Johnson said. “Boycotting could threaten jobs and erase progress made internally. But I also understand why people are frustrated.”
While corporate America’s retreat from DEI disappoints many, it has also ignited a renewed commitment to Black economic independence. Entrepreneurs like Carlton Mackey, founder of the Black Men Smile movement, believe the backlash presents an opportunity.
“If big brands won’t back us, we have to double down on our own communities,” Mackey said. “Resistance must lead to revolution.”
Pastor Bryant points to recent revenue loss due to McDonald’s and Starbucks boycotts as examples of how the boycotts can succeed.
“You’re seeing a great awakening in America, and corporate communities are going to have to really show their responsibility,” he said.
Upcoming Boycott Dates:
Target: March 5 – April 13 (40-day boycott)
24-hour spending blackouts: Feb. 28, March 28, April 18
Amazon: March 7 – 14
Walmart: April 7 – 13
Portions of this article come from the Houston Defender