On January 24, 2025, Target announced that it would be stepping away from its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. This move, while disappointing, is not entirely surprising. Over the past few years, corporations that once leaned into DEI commitments—especially in the wake of the 2020 uprisings—have slowly started to roll them back. Target is just the latest, joining companies like McDonald’s, Meta, Amazon, and Walmart in deprioritizing diversity initiatives.
What makes Target’s decision sting a little more is its reputation as one of the more progressive big-box retailers. Unlike Walmart, which has long leaned conservative, Target has openly acknowledged Black History Month, Pride, and other social causes. But on Friday, the Minneapolis-based company took things a step further by announcing cuts to its Black vendor program, deprioritizing Black-owned businesses in its supplier network. The backlash online was swift, with many calling for a boycott of Target.
What is DEI, and Why Does It Matter?
DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion—initiatives designed to ensure equal opportunities for historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. Some viewed these programs as a corporate trend. However, they were created to combat the systemic barriers that have kept people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and disabled communities from accessing the same opportunities as their white counterparts.
While DEI is a relatively new term, its principles trace back to affirmative action policies of the 1960s. DEI was widely supported in the early 2020s, but by summer 2024, right-wing activists had turned it into a slur. During her presidential campaign, former Vice President Kamala Harris was called a “DEI hire.“
Following his return to the White House, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to terminate DEI programs. He urged private companies to do the same. This directive reflects a broader conservative push to dismantle corporate diversity programs, a movement that has gained traction in the past year.
Now, businesses that once made DEI commitments are backpedaling—and Black entrepreneurs are feeling the impact.
DEI Rollback’s Impact on Black-Owned Brands
This DEI rollback has raised serious concerns for Black business owners who secured shelf space at Target. While individuals on social media call for mass protests of these retailers, some brand owners are urging consumers to rethink how they protest.
“If you don’t buy our products in Target, they will cancel us from their shelves and make us buy back the products they already purchased from us,” Black-owned doll brand Beautiful Curly Me shared on Instagram. The self-funded team led by 12-year-old Zoe Oli, empathizes with Black shoppers who wish to boycott that they’re only hurting small businesses like theirs.
This highlights a crucial reality: for Black-owned brands, visibility in major retailers is a double-edged sword. While it offers exposure and sales opportunities, it also puts them at the mercy of corporate decisions. If a retailer no longer prioritizes diversity, Black businesses can be quietly phased out; unless consumers continue to support them.
Tabitha Brown Speaks On Target DEI Rollback
Actress and entrepreneur Tabitha Brown, who has a partnership with Target, also weighed in on the situation, calling the rollback “disheartening.” While she understands why some may choose to boycott, she also encourages those who continue shopping to do so strategically:
Buy specific brands that you want to support
Her approach makes sense on an individual level—if Black-owned products stop selling at Target, they will likely be pulled from shelves. But that raises a larger question: How does continuing to shop at Target benefit Black people as a collective? At the end of the day, the dollars still go to Target. Even if Black-owned brands maintain shelf space, their long-term stability remains dependent on a company that has shown it can withdraw support at any time.
Beyond Big-Box Stores: Collective Economic Empowerment
If the goal is to truly empower Black businesses and consumers, then we have to shift our focus beyond just keeping Black brands in major retailers. The answer isn’t just about visibility—it’s about ownership, sustainability, and financial autonomy.
Buying directly from Black-owned businesses through their websites ensures that profits stay within the community. The money isn’t shared with corporations that deprioritize Black entrepreneurs when it’s no longer convenient. Direct support strengthens these businesses and reduces their dependence on external gatekeepers like Target, Walmart, or Amazon.
Beyond individual purchases, investing in community-driven business models—such as cooperatives, mutual aid funds, and Black-led venture capital—can help create sustainable economic systems that circulate wealth within the Black community. When Black entrepreneurs have access to funding, mentorship, and distribution channels independent of major corporations, they have greater control over their futures.
Not Every Company is Rolling Back DEI
While Target’s decision is disheartening, all is not lost. Some companies remain committed to their DEI initiatives, including Nordstrom, Old Navy, Costco, Goldman Sachs, and Ben & Jerry’s. These brands continue to invest in supplier diversity and equitable hiring practices, proving that corporate commitment to DEI isn’t dead—it’s just shifting.
Still, Target’s rollback is a reminder that DEI initiatives are often conditional. They exist for as long as they are convenient, profitable, and politically uncontroversial. When the tides shift, so do corporations.
If Black economic empowerment is the goal, the solution isn’t just keeping our brands on the shelves of companies that don’t prioritize us. It’s about ensuring we have the resources to build and sustain our own.
