Target Boycott: A Critical Discussion

Pastor Jamal Bryant’s Speech Highlights:

• Target Boycott: For 18 weeks, a boycott of Target has been ongoing due to the $12 million spent daily by black people in their stores.
• Demands from Target: Pastor Bryant outlined four demands for Target to end the boycott:
  • Invest $250 million in black banks.
  • Invest $2 billion in black businesses, honoring their commitment to the George Floyd family.
  • Partner with six Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for their business programs, as Target has 27 stores on white campuses but none at HBCUs.
  • Re-imagine their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
• Consequences of Target’s Inaction: Despite 16 weeks passing without Target meeting the demands, their stock dropped, the CEO’s salary was cut by 42%, and they lost $12 billion in valuation.
• Criticism of Baptist Conventions: Pastor Bryant criticized the National Baptist Convention and other denominations for allegedly “selling out” by accepting $300,000 from Target. He compared this to the 1961 National Baptist Convention’s reluctance to support Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights advocacy. He stated that $300,000 was not per institution, but rather $75,000 for each of the involved denominations to “sit down and roll over.”
• Challenge to Convention Leadership: Pastor Bryant confronted the president of the National Baptist Convention, demanding a written commitment within a week that the Baptist Convention stands with the boycott, the oppressed, the marginalized, and the nameless and faceless people on the front line.
• Commitment to Breaking Companies: He declared that they would “break Target, Dollar General, and any company that don’t honor our dignity while they trying to take our dollar.”
• Unity and Division: Pastor Bryant emphasized that his war is not against other Baptist conventions but against the “spirit of division,” as white supremacy delights in seeing black people fight amongst themselves. He stressed the power of black people standing together as an “undefeatable force.”

Discussion with Nita Turner:

• “Walk together children, don’t you get weary”: Roland Martin referenced this old Negro spiritual to highlight the importance of unity.
• Boycott Leadership: Roland Martin clarified that no single individual, including Jamal Bryant, Nina Turner, Tamika Mallorie, or Nima Levy Armstrong, is the sole leader of the Target boycott; rather, they are all part of it.
• Critique of the Convention’s Deal: Nina Turner and Roland Martin both criticized the Baptist conventions for negotiating on behalf of black people without consulting them. They also found the $300,000 sum inadequate, especially given the stated intentions of using it for senior citizens, scholarships, and entrepreneurial programs, arguing that the boycott itself advocates for existing black-owned businesses. Nina Turner likened the $300,000 deal to “worse than Judas and the 30 pieces of silver” [09:59].
• Call for Redemption: Both expressed hope that the involved individuals would acknowledge their mistake, apologize to the black community, return the money, and join forces with the boycott for a stronger collective impact.

Bible References:

• Judas and the 30 pieces of silver [09:59]: This is a reference to Matthew 26:14-16 in the Bible, where Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.