Target Sales May Be Improving, But Boycott Organizers Say The Fight Is Not Over
More than a year after Target rolled back its diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong says the consumer boycott against the retail giant is still alive — even as the company reports stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings.
Armstrong, one of the organizers behind the boycott launched in January 2025, said many shoppers, particularly in Black communities, have not forgotten why they stopped spending money at Target in the first place.
“It was indefinite from the beginning,” Armstrong told theGrio. “Many in our community are holding the line and deciding to never return to Target because they have not ever addressed the underlying reasons for the boycott.”
The boycott began after Target, long seen by many consumers as a company that publicly embraced diversity, began moving away from its DEI initiatives shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office. For Armstrong, the decision revealed a major disconnect between the company’s public image and its actual corporate values.
“Target had positioned itself as one of the top companies in America that intentionally embraced diversity and inclusion,” Armstrong said.
She pointed to the retailer’s past Black History Month displays, Pride Month campaigns and support for Black- and brown-owned brands as examples of how Target built loyalty among diverse consumers. But when the company backed away from those efforts, Armstrong said it felt like a betrayal.
“Once all of this happened in terms of Target capitulating to the Trump administration’s assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion, literally within a week of Trump taking office a second time, it showed a whole different face and side to Target,” she said. “It showed that the image they were putting forward was simply window dressing, and they weren’t genuine about their values.”
Armstrong Says Target Has Not Addressed The Root Of The Boycott
Although Target has seen improved sales and some high-profile Black celebrities have appeared to engage with the brand again, Armstrong said the company has not done enough to win back the trust it lost.
She argued that Target has yet to reverse its DEI rollback or fully honor the commitments it made to Black communities after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, where Target is headquartered.
“Of course there are always the ebbs and flows in terms of what shoppers decide to do, but the boycott has been successful,” Armstrong said.
She pointed to the company’s reported loss in valuation, leadership changes and removal from Forbes’ list of most admired companies as signs that public pressure has had an impact.
Armstrong also said Target’s silence during ICE operations in Minneapolis further deepened concerns among communities already frustrated by the company’s decisions. In her view, the current leadership has moved away from the values that once helped Target earn goodwill among progressive and diverse consumers.
“Target has lived off of that family’s goodwill and good intentions for decades, in spite of that family no longer owning Target,” Armstrong said, referring to the Dayton family, which founded the company.
She added that meaningful change would require more than a public relations effort.
“They’ve really worked hard to appease the MAGA base that supports Target. That’s what their decisions show,” she said. “So, I think we would need to see a completely different ownership of Target, ownership that is much more inclusive, a board that is actually racially diverse.”
According to Armstrong, Target has attempted to meet with her, but she has declined those offers because the company has not first agreed to walk back its DEI rollback.
Related: Target Boycott Next Steps as Organizers Say the Fight Is Not Over
A Wider Fight Over DEI, Black History And Civil Rights
The Target boycott comes during a broader national backlash against diversity efforts, voting rights protections and Black history education under the second Trump administration. For many Black Americans, Armstrong said, the fight over Target is not just about where people shop. It is part of a larger struggle over whether major institutions will stand by their stated values when political pressure rises.
Armstrong’s own activism has come at a personal cost. Earlier this year, she was among those arrested and federally indicted after an anti-ICE demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Still, she said that kind of pressure is not unfamiliar in the history of civil rights work.
“In many ways, unfortunately, this comes with the territory of being a freedom fighter and standing up for Black liberation,” Armstrong said. “So, in the grand scheme of things, I’m holding up just fine.”
Armstrong, who grew up in Los Angeles and was deeply affected by the killing of Latasha Harlins, said her commitment to justice began early. Over the years, she has continued to speak out on policing, civil rights, racial justice and corporate accountability.
For those discouraged by the current political climate, Armstrong said the answer is not despair. It is history, resistance and community.
“We can’t just look at the news and have a fatalistic attitude,” she said. “We have to look into our history, understand the truth, and then use the tools that have been provided to us to fight.”
Her message to those still participating in the Target boycott remains simple: hold the line.
