Target CEO to meet with Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the company’s rollback of DEI initiatives

The big box retailer has seen a decline in sales and foot traffic after rolling back its DEI initiatives and requested a meeting to hopefully avoid further calls for boycotts.

At Target’s request, the retailer’s CEO, Brian Cornell, will meet with Rev. Al Sharpton in New York City this week to discuss, presumably, what the retailer can do to avoid future calls for boycotts, according to CNBC. 

In January, the company decided to end several of its DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives, including efforts to secure more items from Black- and minority-owned businesses. Shortly after that decision went public, several civil rights groups began to call for boycotts of the retailers. Since late January, according to Placer.ai, an analytics firm that tracks estimated visits to stores, Target has seen a 10-week decline in foot traffic, impacting sales and profits. 

Boycotts like the “Target Fast,” called for by Atlanta pastor Jamal Bryant, and other calls from prominent figures, civil rights leaders, and social media influencers have led the retailer to a public relations crisis. 

Rev. Sharpton, the president of the National Action Network, has not called for a boycott of the retailer, but he has supported consumers’ efforts to speak with their feet and wallets. Recently, Sharpton and his team met with PepsiCo to discuss their similar reversal of course on commitments to DEI initiatives. 

When asked about Target calling to meet, Sharpton said, “I said, ‘If [Cornell] wants to have a candid meeting, we’ll meet. I want to first hear what he has to say.”

While he hasn’t called for a boycott, Sharpton did share that he would call for one if the company didn’t affirm its commitment to the Black community and agree to invest in and work with Black-owned businesses. 

“You can’t have an election come and all of a sudden change your old positions,” said the civil rights activist and political commentator. He added, “If an election determines your commitment to fairness, then fine. You have a right to withdraw from us, but then we have a right to withdraw from you.”