Target Buckles Under Conservative Pressure Yet Again

It seems like the window for inclusivity in companies has closed. Corporations have proved that they are not our friends nor have they ever been no matter how much they advertise that they’ve ‘got our backs’. Following the executive order that seeks to end DEI programs, Target has decided to end their own programs. In a statement Target released, they announced the company will be “concluding (their) three-year diversity, equity, and inclusion goals,” “Concluding (their) Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives in 2025,” and “Stopping all external diversity-focused surveys, including HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.”

Color me unsurprised; this is not the first time Target has buckled under conservative pressures. In 2023, Target included trans-positive swimwear and other gender-affirming clothing, but after facing threats of protest from conservatives, they pulled said clothing. In 2024, Pride merchandise was only sold in select stores even after a Target spokesperson said, “Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round.” It is important to remember that companies deciding to remove their DEI programs affects us intersectionally, meaning that it is not only the LGBTQ+ community, or just communities of color, or just disabled folks, but all of us and those who reside in the intersections of multiple groups. We need to treat the issue as such and not put one group’s oppression and exclusion over another’s.

Target is not the only company removing their DEI initiatives. Companies like Walmart, McDonald’s, and Amazon have also joined into compliance. From their past history, one can conclude that Target and other corporations like it will bend to whomever is yelling the loudest or threatens to cost them the most revenue at the present moment. In 2020 following the Black Lives Matter protests, Target among many other companies “committed” themselves to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Making sure that people from under-served communities feel represented and valued was their mission. They even announced the goal of increasing their Black workforce by 20% over the next three years. Now Target claims “belonging for all is an essential part of our team,” as they remove programs put in place to uphold that very sentiment.

Many people feel conflicted about shopping at Target now since they are hosting a number of Black-owned brands for their Black History Month collections, and they don’t want to pull their support for the Black creators who have no say in what the corporation does. Some people are boycotting the store altogether; some are choosing to only buy the Black-owned merchandise. Whatever your choice is, remember this: Corporations do not love and support us. They will do whatever benefits their bottoms lines first and foremost, and they will spin those decisions to reflect whatever opinion benefits their image in the moment. We should all do our best to support local sellers and small business in our own communities when it is accessible.