Parle Mag
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Diddy Trial
  • Lifestyle
  • Interviews
  • Contact Us
  • Team Parlé
  • Podcast
  • Advertising
Facebook 0 Likes
Twitter 0 Followers
Instagram 0 Followers
Pinterest 0 Followers
LinkedIn 0
Reddit 0 Subscribers
TikTok 0
0
0
0
0
0
Parle Mag
Subscribe
Parle Mag
  • Home
  • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Celebrity
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Sports
    • Television News
  • Diddy Trial
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • Business
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Op-Ed
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Travel
  • Interviews
Featured Categories
black countries
About Parlé
4 Posts
View Posts
Taye Diggs reads a book in an episode of private practice.
About Parle Magazine
4 Posts
View Posts
About the Editor
3 Posts
View Posts
Ad Test
1 Posts
View Posts
Posts
  • Easy Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas 2025 1
    Easy and Creative Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas for 2025
    • October 28, 2025
  • R&B Singer Sammie Arrested for Child Cruelty and family violence Charges, 2
    R&B Singer Sammie Arrested for Child Cruelty Charges, What We Know About
    • October 26, 2025
  • Cash Money vs No Limit Verzuz 3
    Round By Round Break Down of the Cash Money vs No Limit Verzuz
    • October 25, 2025
  • Easy Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas 2025

    Easy and Creative Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas for 2025

    • October 28, 2025
    View Post
  • R&B Singer Sammie Arrested for Child Cruelty and family violence Charges,

    R&B Singer Sammie Arrested for Child Cruelty Charges, What We Know About

    • October 26, 2025
    View Post
  • Cash Money vs No Limit Verzuz

    Round By Round Break Down of the Cash Money vs No Limit Verzuz

    • October 25, 2025
    View Post
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Op-Ed

Black-Owned Brands At Target: What’s Left After DEI Initiative Cancellations

  • April 19, 2025
  • Kehinde Adejumo
Black-Owned Brands At Target
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

Target is just one retailer that has cancelled its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives following the Trump administration’s decision to overturn DEI practices. The announcement has led to a sustained boycott of the company by many shoppers, but it how exactly has it impacted Black-owned brands at Target?  Many of the brands still remain and are available for purchase, despite the “cancellation.” And the reality is if Black people aren’t purchasing those Black brands, there may be unintended consequences that ultimately impact the same Black brands we are hoping to support with this boycott.

Early on in this new Trump administration, the White House made a statement regarding Trump’s executive orders, stating, “Billions of dollars are spent annually on DEI, but rather than reducing bias and promoting inclusion, DEI creates and then amplifies prejudicial hostility and exacerbates interpersonal conflict.”

Target’s in-store traffic continues to decline, down over 9% in February and 6.5% in March, amid backlash over the company’s pullback from DEI initiatives and growing economic concerns.https://t.co/aIHtpoGFlz pic.twitter.com/qDwxrep1Xg

— Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) April 18, 2025

In 2021, Target announced its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiative that would invest more than $2 billion in Black-owned brands and add 500 Black-owned brands to their in-person stores. Targets’ goals for their DEI initiatives were to advance the careers of their Black employees, increase representation, improve Black shopper experiences, and promote Black owned businesses.

Advertisement

It is important to note that with their change to their DEI policies the retailer will not just cut their DEI programs, but will also hire fewer women, minorities, LGBTQ+ people, and veterans.

Kiera Fernandez, Chief Community Impact and Equity Officer at Target sent a memo discussing the end of their three year DEI goals in the REACH initiative program. “Many years of data, insights, listening, and learning have been shaping this next chapter in our strategy.”

Impact of  Rollback on Black-Owned Brands At Target

Pernell Cezar, owner of a coffee company called BLK & Bold told The New York Times that Target did not alert suppliers like him before the announcement of the roll back and did not communicate what the changes might mean for his company. The New York Times reached out to Target to comment and they replied, stating that there would be no immediate impact on their current supplier relationships. However, the exchange left Cezar wondering if he could trust Target and where they could go from there.

Advertisement

BLK & Bold uses coffee as a bridge to connect culture, conversation, and community. Driven forward by the resilience of the Black entrepreneurs who have paved the way before them, they recognize the challenges that have shaped their journey:

“Generational barriers, systemic… pic.twitter.com/CF1VxouSou

— Levy (@LevyRestaurants) February 28, 2025

The retailer used to be proud of their DEI efforts in the past, citing that their efforts were “equitable access to career advancement” and “equitable business decisions that increase relevance with diverse guests and support economic inclusivity.” Now the company will not have diversity focused surveys as they are evaluating their corporate partnerships and changing their supplier diversity team to supplier engagement.

Other retailers like Walmart and Amazon (who had no black sections to begin with) are scaling back on their diversity efforts as well. Walmart is no longer allowing the use of terms such as D.E.I. and Latinx in its official communications. The company is also cancelling L.G.B.T.Q. themed items coming from third-party merchants on their websites. Similar to Target, Walmart will not be renewing the Center for Racial Equity, a philanthropic initiative announced by Mr. McMillon in 2020. Amazon sent an announcement that they were still focused on “delivering inclusive experiences,” but were altering their approach to focus on programs with “proven outcomes.”

Walmart rolled back their DEI policies but they’re still marketing to us… interesting

shout out to the Black employees at their ad agency who created this though. https://t.co/yREeCNDjtl

— Melissa Kimble (she/her) 🏁 (@Melissa_Kimble) December 4, 2024

Due to the DEI initiatives being cut at Target, customers decided to boycott the retailer starting on March 5. The boycott has had some success as the retailer faced a significant drop of foot traffic in their stores. The People’s Union USA plans to boycott Target during June 3-9. The group targets large corporations that have allegedly “driven up prices, underpaid their workers, and outsourced jobs while raking in record profits.”

Advertisement

Target Chief Financial Officer Jim Lee made a statement about the company’s sales predictions. “We’re going to be focusing on controlling what we can control. What we don’t know is the potential consumer demand that’s across the board, based on how tariffs ripple across the economy, for instance. But we have that wide range for a reason.”

A lot of people thought that boycotts don’t work. But, they do. Especially sustained boycotts like the one against Target for their ending of DEI considerations. Target’s CEO, Brian Cornell, is asked for a meeting with Civl Rights leader Al Sharpton. Target is being hit where it… pic.twitter.com/un5Q3inzIZ

— Willie Ross Jr. Knee Deep (@RossKneeDeep) April 18, 2025

When it comes to the DEI cuts, Tabitha Brown, who sells kitchenware at Target, urges people to still buy from Black-owned brands at Target. “If we all decide to boycott and be like, ‘No, we’re not spending any money at these organizations,’ so many of us will be affected, and our sales will drop, our business will be hurt. If we all decide to stop supporting said businesses and say, ‘I can’t buy anything from there,’ then those companies get to say, ‘Oh, your products are not performing,’ and they can remove them from the shelves,” Brown shared.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tabitha Brown (@iamtabithabrown)

Some people are telling shoppers to buy directly from the Black owned brand’s websites instead of going to Target. However, the retailer has the infrastructure, visibility, and dollars to get products in front of the public.

Advertisement

Both sides are completely valid: Black consumers don’t have to shop at Target, but Black business owners will be affected, and so will their sales.

If you are boycotting Target and some of these other big retailers, please keep in mind that some Black owned-brands that you can support are Be Rooted, Black Girl Sunscreen, Viarae Prosecco, Fresh Dolls, and Donna’s Recipe.

 

Advertisement
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Kehinde Adejumo

Previous Article
Song Collaborations by Nigerian Artists
  • Entertainment News
  • Music

Our ‘Top 5’ Song Collaborations by Nigerian Artists of the Year Ranked

  • April 19, 2025
  • Nduka John
View Post
Next Article
must attend Black cultural festivals
  • Lifestyle
  • Op-Ed
  • Travel

Must-Attend Black Cultural Festivals Around the World

  • April 20, 2025
  • Trent Lucas
View Post
You May Also Like
Easy Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas 2025
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Fashion
  • Home Page
  • Lifestyle

Easy and Creative Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas for 2025

  • Obiorah Precious
  • October 28, 2025
Florida's Title Lending Laws
View Post
  • Lifestyle
  • Op-Ed
  • Travel

Florida’s Title Lending Laws Promote a Financial Literate Lifestyle

  • Kevin Benoit
  • October 24, 2025
Jelly Roll Weight Loss Transformation Explained, What Led to His Drastic Shift
View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment News
  • Home Page
  • Lifestyle

Jelly Roll Weight Loss Explained, What Led to His Drastic Shift

  • Obiorah Precious
  • October 22, 2025
Indoor Hobbies To Try Out
View Post
  • Lifestyle

Indoor Hobbies to Try Out This Fall and Winter That Won’t Break the Bank

  • Gillian McFadden
  • October 22, 2025
How to Create a Personalized Workout Plan
View Post
  • Health
  • Lifestyle

How to Create a Personalized Workout Plan

  • Gillian McFadden
  • October 21, 2025
Personalized Photo Gifts
View Post
  • Lifestyle

Holiday Gifting with Heart: Personalized Photo Gifts That Celebrate Traditions

  • Team Parle
  • October 21, 2025
Beginner’s Guide to World of Warcraft
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Lifestyle

World of Warcraft: A Beginner’s Guide to the Legendary MMORPG

  • Team Parle
  • October 20, 2025
Science of Nonapeptide‑1
View Post
  • Health
  • Lifestyle

The Science of Nonapeptide‑1: A Peptide Frontier in Pigmentation and Receptor Signaling

  • Team Parle
  • October 20, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts
  • C-Murder Prison Release Update
    C-Murder Prison Release Update – Will The Rapper Ever Come Home???
    • October 25, 2025
  • Mystikal Legal Battles
    Where is Mystikal? The Legal Battles That Made Him A Registered Sex Offender & Ended His Career
    • October 25, 2025
  • cast of Tyler perry Finding Joy
    [FIRST LOOK] Meet The Cast of Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy Movie, Coming To Prime Video
    • October 24, 2025
Categories
Entertainment News
5792 Posts
View Posts
Interviews
870 Posts
View Posts
Lifestyle
2806 Posts
View Posts
Featured Posts
  • Easy Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas 2025 1
    Easy and Creative Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas for 2025
    • October 28, 2025
  • R&B Singer Sammie Arrested for Child Cruelty and family violence Charges, 2
    R&B Singer Sammie Arrested for Child Cruelty Charges, What We Know About
    • October 26, 2025
  • Cash Money vs No Limit Verzuz 3
    Round By Round Break Down of the Cash Money vs No Limit Verzuz
    • October 25, 2025
  • C-Murder Prison Release Update 4
    C-Murder Prison Release Update – Will The Rapper Ever Come Home???
    • October 25, 2025
  • Mystikal Legal Battles 5
    Where is Mystikal? The Legal Battles That Made Him A Registered Sex Offender & Ended His Career
    • October 25, 2025

RSS Parle Mag

  • Easy and Creative Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas for 2025
  • R&B Singer Sammie Arrested for Child Cruelty Charges, What We Know About
  • Round By Round Break Down of the Cash Money vs No Limit Verzuz
  • C-Murder Prison Release Update – Will The Rapper Ever Come Home???
  • Where is Mystikal? The Legal Battles That Made Him A Registered Sex Offender & Ended His Career
Parle Mag
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Team Parlé
  • Podcast
  • Advertising
  • Parle Endeavors
  • Parle New York
  • Privacy Policy
parlemag.com - The Voice of The Culture

Input your search keywords and press Enter.