Target Corp. (Minneapolis) CEO Brian Cornell plans to meet with civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the retailer’s decision to roll back its DEI programs, CNBC reports. The discussion, which Target requested, comes as the big-box retailer faces calls for a boycott and a slowdown in foot traffic that began soon after it said it was backing off from some DEI initiatives in January.
Sharpton has not called for a boycott of Target, but said he’ll consider it if the company doesn’t reaffirm its commitment to Black businesses, employees and consumers.
The session is expected to take place by the end of the week in New York.
Target’s plans to curtail its DEI initiatives became known when its Chief Community Impact and Equity Officer sent out a memo to employees saying such moves were “in step with the evolving external landscape.”
“With its decision to roll back DEI efforts, the cheap-chic retailer joined Walmart, McDonald’s, Tractor Supply and a slew of others that scrapped at least some DEI initiatives as they grew concerned that the programs could alienate some customers or land them in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, who has vowed to end every DEI program across the federal government,” the CNBC report notes.