Boycott or bust? Black entrepreneurs in Atlanta respond to DEI rollbacks

“I’m not saying you need to be affirmed by a big box retailer, but for someone who’s just putting their head down and chipping away and doing the work, to get a call from a big brand like this, it felt like a big deal,” he remembers.

Credit: Black Men S

Credit: Black Men S

This year, Mackey, looked forward to buying from other brands that would feature in the Black History Month 2025 collection.

Then, the news came.

On Jan. 21, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to put the kibosh on diversity equity and inclusion initiatives nationwide. Four days later, Target joined the likes of Walmart, Amazon, and Lowe’s in announcing an end to its DEI programs.

Now, Mackey plans to join other businesses and consumers in a nationwide boycott of the retailer, starting on March 5.

“We are saying out of an act of self-love and as an act of capacity building for our people, we are making a conscious decision to refrain from purchasing at Target as a result of not something that we did, but as a result of them,” he said. “They made conscious decisions to walk back on commitments that were made.”

In Atlanta and across the country, conversations about how Black entrepreneurs should act in response to DEI cuts include targeted buying, boycotting or creating self-sustaining economic ecosystems. However, there’s level to this, and Black business owners who spoke to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said arriving at solution needs to be a collective effort.

Backlash, boycott and a fast

In April 2021, nearly one year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Target announced major commitments to Black-owned businesses. This included the big box store chain — which is based in Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed — spending more than $2 billion with Black-owned-businesses by 2025, and pledging to add over 500 brands to their stores.

The self-described “bold actions” taken by Target were supposed to showcase their company’s commitment to advancing racial equity. “They also represent significant economic opportunity for hundreds of new Black-owned companies, who we look forward to doing business with for years to come,” Christina Hennington, executive vice president and chief growth officer at Target said at the time.

After Trump’s executive order was signed, Target announced its plan to discontinue pursuit of three-year DEI goals tied to the company’s “Belonging at the Bullseye” campaign, which sought to improve opportunities and experiences for Target’s Black staff, customers and businesses.

Protests in Minneapolis followed, as did responses and rebukes from prominent Black figures.

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Media personality Roland Martin called for a February boycott. Emmy-winning actress Tabitha Brown, who once had a collaboration deal with Target, pleaded with consumers to respond by focusing efforts on shopping with the Black brands there.

Delivering a sermon to his congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest earlier this month, Rev. Jamal Bryant offered a challenge for Lent. “To the conscientious Christian community all over this country I am calling for a 40-day fast from Target,” he said.

“Racist America doesn’t respond to speeches; they respond to dollars,” he added before also calling on members to sell their Target stock.

As part of a partnership with the Washington, D.C.-based National Black Chamber of Commerce, Bryant said he hoped to receive at least 100,000 pledges on the website TargetFast.org. In return, Bryant said registrants will receive access to a digital directory of more than 300,000 shoppable Black businesses nationwide.

The effort would be mindful of Black businesses still in Target, Bryant added, by giving them a head start in removing their products from stores.

“Do you know what it’s going to be for America when we start shifting our own economic ecosystem, and start investing in ourselves,” he asked.

Credit: Nathan Posner

Credit: Nathan Posner

Mackey agreed. “It may not lead to the change that we want, but the strategy is to show that refraining from spending our economic power can yield results that move the pendulum back toward the commitments that we hope to benefit from and not only us so many other people,” he said.

‘Token’ brands

For Chantel Powell, simply boycotting or removing her products from Target isn’t an option. Play Pits, her line of natural deodorant for kids, has been sold in Target stores since 2022. The brand is also featured online at Walmart.com and Amazon, two companies that also announced major DEI updates.

Powell, a Clark Atlanta University graduate, is currently contracted to continue carrying Play Pits products in over 390 Target stores nationwide.

When she first launched her business, Powell noticed how social justice movements sparked by George Floyd’s murder were benefiting her budding enterprise. Being in Target helped sustain Play Pits and Powell’s 15 employees after customers started directing their dollars elsewhere in recent years.

Powell said her online and in-store sales have jumped considerably in the month since Target made the DEI announcement. As a business owner, she understands where boycott supporters like Mackey are coming from, as well as those choosing the targeted buying route.

“I think more than anything, Black people are tired. We are tired of being dismissed. We are tired of being popular or trendy,” Powell said.

“We’re tired of being a token for the moment.”

Target’s response

A spokesperson for Target said the retailer had “nothing to share” in response to the backlash or Bryant’s call for a fast.

In a memo sent to the company’s employees and shared with The AJC, Kiera Fernandez, Target’s executive vice president and chief community impact officer spoke about the update to the “Belonging at the Bullseye” initiative.

“Many years of data, insights, listening and learning have been shaping this next chapter in our strategy,” she wrote.

In an email sent to the AJC, Target claimed that updates do not affect current supplier relationships, and the company will “continue to work with suppliers from all backgrounds.”

“We are proud of our wide-ranging assortment and partnerships and will continue to aim to create joyful experiences through an assortment of products and services that help all guests feel seen and celebrated, increasing relevance with consumers. This includes continuing to offer a wide range of products, including Black-owned and minority-owned products.”

The message also notes that the 2025 Black History Month collection is live. Target said its offerings include Black-owned apparel, home and beauty products year-round.

Au revoir?

In 2022, sisters Kim and Keyondra Lockett saw business jump after being invited to take part in Black History Month partnerships with Target and Sam’s Club.

The Locketts launched a women’s athleisure brand, Jolie Noire (translation: “pretty Black”), in 2018. The name stems from Louisiana’s French culture, as the sisters are Shreveport natives who moved to Atlanta 15 years ago.

As plus-sized Black women business owners, creating a brand that offered a sense of belonging was crucial.

“When we first started our brand, we heavily pushed the narrative that representation matters, and with that we need to be in spaces,” Kim Lockett said.

After Target’s announcement, the sisters received several calls from peers about their experiences and what other entrepreneurs should do in response. The pair said they’re not boycotting and plan on supporting businesses in Target. They added that if a brand sells -- Black-owned or not -- Target will keep carrying them.

The Lockett sisters shared their feelings in a video blog. They caught flack from one responder, who accused them of being naive, before suggesting the only choice was boycott or bust.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“If people want to support Target or support Black brands in Target, let them. If you don’t want to, then you should be free not to,” Keyondra Lockett said.

“We felt the significant increase of being partnered with a Target. When brands are wanting to be included in spaces like that, that’s advertisement that we didn’t have to pay for.”

Beyond the bullseye

According to Census analysis from LendingTree, Atlanta ranks just ahead of Fayetteville, North Carolina, as the hub for Black-owned businesses in the U.S. with 11.3% in 2022.

Concerns for Black entrepreneurs in Atlanta extends beyond Target. Corporations like Apple, Costco and Delta have remained steadfast in supporting DEI efforts.

Black businesses featured in Bloomingdales at Lenox Square are embracing their current opportunity and sharing genuine concerns about what the Target news means for entrepreneurs like them.

BDR Black is a gender-neutral athleisure line founded by Brian Robinson in 2020. Before launching, Robinson worked as a tour stylist for Keyshia Cole. He moved to Atlanta from New York City to pursue his design dreams. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed those plans until an opportunity to participate in a Bloomingdales pop-up came in October 2023.

Robinson called the DEI rollbacks devastating for visibility Black businesses need to compete.

“At the end of the day, if we boycott the store in general, we’re going to literally kill the whole idea,” Robinson said. “We’re going to kill the idea of Black-owned businesses being in those stores because there’s not going to be any sales because we boycott it.”

Metro Atlanta native Quintin Crumpler has taken part in the same Bloomingdales partnership. His classic American luxury brand, Goat by James King, is in talks for another run on the store’s racks for spring and summer.

Crumpler is concerned about already limited opportunities fading under a new administration, when Black consumers have nearly $2 trillion in annual spending power. Boycott? Fast? Buy? He wants to push the conversation on what to do going forward.

“I think we don’t allow it to get us down and stay stagnant,” Crumpler said. “We continue to talk about the solutions and start executing on those solutions going forward to put us in a better position.”

‘Build together’

Black Men Smile recently launched their own Black History Month collection dubbed “Black Is Forever.” Mackey and Black Men Smile director of narrative media Jeremiah Griffin have hosted and streamed discussions with peers on how best to proceed. They’re not backing down from their boycott, but they’ve seen those dialogues bear fruit.

“The spirit of collaboration, the spirit of cooperative economics, particularly among groups who are struggling to receive those dollars, is also a beautiful lesson and valuable lesson,” Mackey said.

Credit: Black Men Smile

Credit: Black Men Smile

Bryant recently invited the men to New Birth, as a sign of solidarity and support of the boycott movement, and to promote their Black History Month collection. Both Mackey and Griffin said the future for Black entrepreneurs should involve more investment in spaces such as The Village Market, which has a retail shop in Ponce City Market.

Founder and CEO Lakeysha Hallmon first launched the concept in 2016. The mission behind the Village Market is to help Black brands gain customer and secure retail opportunities, which includes big box aspirations. Customers can purchase products from Black brands directly or online via the market’s website.

Since its founding, the Village has helped over 1,400 businesses, generating $8.8 million in direct sales to Black-owned enterprises nationwide.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Every entrepreneur who spoke with the AJC for this story agreed that the Black buying public should understand its value and purchase accordingly.

For entrepreneurs, working to create dedicated databases for Black businesses, building alliances, and investment in expanding concepts like Hollman’s are routes to take, despite the uncertain terrain ahead for DEI programs.

Hallmon just released her book, “No One Is Self-Made,” which stresses the importance of building brands with others. She said if anything, now is the time form coalitions and communities around moving Black businesses forward beyond once-a-year, monthlong celebrations.

“I think it’s OK to be upset, but after we go through those emotions, then we must start to proactively and progressively build together,” she said.

“To me, that is the solution on how we safeguard ourselves when, in so many ways, so many people feel unsafe right now.”

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