In what several activists and spiritual leaders view as an underhanded effort to court Black dollars, Target donated $300,000 to the National Baptist Convention amidst several ongoing Target boycotts nationwide.
According to USA Today, both Rev. Jamal Bryant and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong say the church group accepting the donation does a disservice to their separate, ongoing Target boycotts. Bryant initially called for a 40-day Target boycott before going on to call for a full boycott over the company rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives earlier this year. Levy Armstong, a Minnesota activist, called for a Target boycott in February for similar reasons.
Bryant, who is Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., made several demands in his call for a Target boycott. The boycott calls for Target to honor a $2 billion pledge to the Black business community the company previously made, invest in Black-owned banks, establish retail centers at HBCUs, and for the company to fully restore its DEI initiatives.
“The black eye for us is that they [National Baptist Convention] walked away with nothing that we asked for,” Bryant told reporters.
Levy Armstong, founder of the Racial Justice Network, had similar concerns. She issued a letter to the National Baptist Convention asking them to return the donation and to “reconsider its alignment with a corporation that has caused such profound harm.”
“This $300,000 payment does not heal – it deepens the wound. It appears to be a payout for silence and an attempt to regain Black consumer trust without accountability,” the letter reads.
National Baptist Convention President Boise Kimber has defended the partnership, telling USA Today its partnership with Target is based on a “shared commitment to community empowerment through small-business and entrepreneur development, investments in education and student support, and workforce and skill development that unlocks growth across our communities.”
Kimber added that the money from the donation will “provide scholarships, support senior citizens, and invest in entrepreneurship programs that uplift our people and the future.”
“We’re proud to be sponsoring NBCUSA’s conference series as one of the many ways we invest to make a meaningful impact in communities across the country by supporting access to education, economic development initiatives and entrepreneurship programs,” a Target spokesperson said in a statement sent to USA Today.
I’ll be the first to tell you I’m incredibly cynical when it comes to the motivations of any corporate entity. The widespread backtracking of DEI initiatives at corporations nationwide this year has only furthered my belief that corporate morality boils down to whatever is most profitable and politically expedient at the time. This donation feels like a blatant attempt by Target to say “See? We don’t hate Black people. Now please, spend money with us again.”
Lord knows the company needs our dollars as the Target boycotts have proven remarkably effective so far. The company has consistently reported lower foot traffic, and posted a first-quarter sales decline, and its woes have been so pronounced that other companies are now warning their investors of the risks posed by consumer boycotts.
If Target was serious about mending fences with the Black community it would address the root concerns that triggered the boycotts in the first place. Instead, it’s trying to throw money at the problem in the hopes it will buy our silence. Considering the energy Black folks have been on, I don’t see that plan working.
SEE ALSO:
Target Messed Around And Found Out, Reports 1st Quarter Sales Slump
They Scared: Target, Walmart Warn Investors About Consumer Boycotts
Target Donates $300K To Black Church Group, Activists Want It Returned
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