Consumers to boycott companies retreating from DEI. Here’s what we know.
Consumers are planning to boycott on February 28 over companies retreating from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
WASHINGTON – Sheila Harrison stopped shopping at Target as soon as she learned the company rolled back some of its diversity initiatives. She was disappointed and annoyed.
Every year in February she looked forward to picking up a new shirt from the store’s Black History Month line. And on her typical twice-a-week visits to the store, she bought other items. Not anymore.
“As much as I love Target, I just couldn’t,’’ said Harrison, an environmental underwriter who lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia. “It just didn’t sit well with my spirit.’’
Harrison plans to continue to shop elsewhere and participate in other boycotts, including a national 24-hour economic blackout that starts Friday. She and many others are using their wallets to push back against companies they believe have reneged on pledges to support diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The campaigns range from today’s blackout calling for people not to spend money anywhere to a 40-day boycott of stores like Target and other protests. Some organizations have urged people to shop more at stores that continue supporting diversity programs, as well as small businesses.
The actions come after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government. Several companies have followed the administration’s lead.
Supporters of the boycotts hope they’ll signal to companies that retreating from diversity initiatives will cost them business.
“It definitely does send a political message to these companies that we’re watching them and that we’re not going to let them get away with abandoning our causes,’’ said Jason Williams, professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
‘Got to do what I got to do’
During trips to Target, Harrison often bought products made by Black entrepreneurs, including cosmetics from The Lip Bar. Instead, she has turned to the company’s website and forked over extra for shipping.
“I just got to do what I got to do,’’ she said.
Harrison is taking a trip to Charlotte in the coming days, but she filled her gas tank early in the week so she doesn’t spend money on Friday. She also plans to join others next week and only shop for necessities for 40 days. If she buys anything, she said, it will be from a Black-owned business.
“I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” she said. “As African Americans we need to make these people realize that our dollars do count. They don’t respect us or our dollars.”
There are several blackout efforts underway, including the 24-hour action organized by the People’s Union, a grassroots group. Black faith leaders have called on congregations to join a 40-day boycott of Target starting Wednesday.
In separate campaigns, the National Action Network, a civil rights organization, plans to release a report in April on some companies that have retreated from diversity programs. The NAACP announced its Black Consumer Advisory, urging members to support Black-owned businesses and shop with companies that commit to DEI initiatives.
Still, there are many challenges to conducting a boycott, including people’s ability to find cheaper alternatives with the prominence of some major stores, said Williams. It’s also hard for people who have to drive to other places to shop.
“It has become hard for people to partake in a boycott even if they want to,’’ Williams said. “It’s not necessarily because people don’t want to support it.’’
In the past, shoppers could turn to more alternatives like Black-owned businesses along main streets. Many of those corridors no longer exist, he said.
‘You want to make a difference’
For more than a week, Kim Andrews of Nashville got messages from family, friends and colleagues about different economic blackouts.
The first one was about faith leaders calling for the Target boycott. Then came another about the 24-hour blackout, along with other demonstrations. She plans to do them all. She said she wants to be part of the movement.
“It’s almost like voting,’’ said Andrews, a career strategist and leadership coach. “You want to make a difference. While one (person) not spending may not be a big deal, if everybody says, ‘Do not,’ then it makes a difference.”
Switching from Target was easy for her. She doesn’t shop there much, anyway. Instead, she went to another store with a pharmacy and noticed for the first time there were also Black hair care products on the shelves. She said she’ll remember that for next time.
“It might be time to go to maybe a local grocer or market, time to see what they actually offer and contribute to our local community like the mom-and-pop shops,’’ Andrews said.
The power of the dollar
Experts said successful boycotts in the past have relied on mass mobilization or buy-in from entire communities. They point to the successful bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, which began in 1955.
Some organizers, including Black faith leaders and civil rights groups, hope to rally Black shoppers to participate now.
Still, analysts have previously told USA TODAY boycotts don’t always financially work, but they can be successful in shaming a company into reversing decisions. There needs to be clear asks outlined, they say. But consumers do like being able to take action against something they feel strongly about.
For example, every Wednesday since the beginning of the month, Susan Bradshaw had stopped shopping except at Black-owned businesses.
“I felt so good because I realized I’m saving money, I’m being proactive and I feel connected to my community,’’ said Bradshaw, a physician who lives in Los Angeles. “It’s a way to make change.”
Groups opposing diversity, equity and inclusion have also launched protests and boycotts in recent years. They have criticized DEI programs, calling them part of the “woke’’ culture and have tried to pressure companies to follow Trump’s lead to end them.
Some anti-DEI boycotts have been effective, including one against Target, which scaled back its Pride merchandise and moved some displays from the entrances to the back of stores.
Target did not respond to a request for comment about the boycott, but the company has said it will continue to work with suppliers from all backgrounds. They also said the company will continue to offer Black-owned products.
Keith Byrd, pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., which is spearheading its own boycott, is urging his congregation to reduce spending for 40 days during Lent. Every Wednesday members should not spend money at all.
“We’re going to make it a part of our spiritual strengthening, but also impacting our community,’’ Byrd said. He explained that the church is drawing up a list of corporations for participants to avoid. He called diversity efforts “a fundamental democratic principle” for the country.
Walmart, which has several stores near the church, is a prime target, and shopping at Black-owned stores will be pushed as an alternative. The nation’s largest private employer announced last year it would make changes to its diversity efforts.
“We don’t do that enough anyway,’’ Byrd said. “But certainly we need to, particularly the Black church, help our people to understand the power not only of the vote, but the power of the dollar.”
Beyond the boycott, Byrd said he has made personal sacrifices by not shopping at businesses that have rolled back diversity initiatives.
Every day, he and his wife, Kimberly, used to order a decaf caramel macchiato with extra shots of vanilla from Starbucks. “I’m done with that for awhile,’’ he said.
And among his favorites is a Big Mac combo from McDonalds. “I could probably own stock in McDonalds,’’ he said. “I’m done with that.”
“Our goal is to show our economic power and muscle, period,” he said.
Contributing: Jessica Guynn and Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY
