Black-owned brands urge US consumers not to boycott Target over end of diversity efforts

By Arriana McLymore and Siddharth Cavale

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Please don't boycott Target: That's the message from Black founders and influencers to consumers about a blacklash against the retailer's decision to end its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

With the U.S. political climate trending right, the Minneapolis-based company announced the move on Friday prompting calls for a boycott of its stores from labor advocacy group We Are Somebody and a Minneapolis city council member.

The campaign would be aimed at hurting the company's sales and preventing Target from profiting from products by minority-owned companies, advocates said.

But Black-owned companies and entrepreneurs urged against a boycott on Monday, saying they would lose revenue and consumer exposure, which would harm the brands more than the retailer.

"If we all decide to boycott ... so many of us will be affected and our sales will drop --- our businesses will be hurt," Tabitha Brown, an actress whose kitchenwares are sold at Target, said in an Instagram post.

Target did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Building on previous inclusivity efforts, Target in 2022 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.

Consumers who want to boycott Target should instead spend their dollars on products from Black-owned businesses at the retailer, said April Showers, founder and chief executive of toy, apparel and home goods brand Afro Unicorn, which has been sold at Target since 2022.

"Target is about money," she said. "Target is not going to remove any of our products if they're performing well, so we're saying be strategic with your dollar."

A boycott of Target could also hurt the growth potential of Black brands due to reduced visibility and geographic footprint if their products start to be dropped from the chain's nearly 2,000 stores and on its website.

"If you don't buy our products in Target, they will cancel us from their shelves and make us buy back the products they already purchased from us," Black-owned doll brand Beautiful Curly Me said on its Instagram account on Sunday.

Some backers of a Target boycott call for buying directly from Black-owned brands' websites instead. But many founders do not want to miss out on the millions of shoppers who enter Target's stores every week.

"We have dolls on our websites, but having your dolls in mass retail stores gives you a different kind of visibility to millions and really helps us expand," Beautiful Curly Me said.

PRODUCTS ON WEBSITE

Target's website on Monday highlighted Black-owned or founded beauty and personal care brands ahead of Black History Month, which begins Saturday. Such brands include actress Tracee Ellis Ross' Pattern hair products and actress Gabrielle Union-Wade's Proudly baby items.

DEI initiatives sought to address longstanding structural racism and sexism by promoting opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people and other underrepresented groups.

Arising after the Black Lives Matter protests and George Floyd's killing in 2020, Target's moves were accompanied by initiatives to help minority employees advance their careers, diversify its suppliers and ensure stores were welcoming to LGBTQ, Black, Asian, veteran and disabled shoppers.

At the time, many U.S. companies embraced the trend. But the landscape has shifted including a Supreme Court decision against affirmative action and the election of President Donald Trump, who ordered the federal government to end its diversity programs. Conservatives argue DEI is based on favoritism rather than merit.

Walmart, Meta and McDonald's are among the brands that have rolled back DEI policies recently.

But Target's decision struck some of its critics as a betrayal, saying the retailer's initiatives attracted a younger, more diverse consumer base.

Tamala Barksdale, managing partner at brand consultancy 360 Agency, said Target's move was "a break in trust" with its customers who believed in its efforts.

(Reporting by Arriana McLymore and Siddharth Cavale in New York City; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)