Shoppers begin major boycott of stores that have backtracked on diversity initiatives
Target has rolled back its DEI initiatives in recent years. (Getty)
Today (February 28) shoppers have decided to initiate a 24-hour boycott on stores that have rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
The economic blackout which began today is just one of several boycotts planned by consumers and activists to protest those companies in the aftermath of president Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate DEI programmes at the federal level completely.
“It definitely does send a political message to these companies that we’re watching them and that we’re not going to let them get away with abandoning our causes,’’ Jason Williams, professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University in New Jersey, told USA Today.
The organiser of the boycott is John Schwarz, who goes by TheOneCalledJai on Instagram, and says that the boycott is necessary because people are frustrated with “corporate greed”.
In one of several videos posted about the blackout, Schwarz said that they intend to show these companies that “we the people are the system.”
“For decades, they have told us that we are powerless, that we have no control, and that this system is too big, too strong, too unshakable. We are going to remind them who has the power. For one day, we turn it off for one day. We shut it down for one day. We remind them that this country does not belong to the elite, it belongs to the people, and this will work,” he said.
The February 28 boycott is aimed at Target, Walmart, Best Buy and McDonald’s.
Boycotts of other companies such as Amazon, Nestle, and Walmart are expected in the coming months, culminating in another one-day economic blackout on April 18.
A national boycott of Target has already been in place since February 1 to coincide with Black History Month, launched by civil rights activists in Minneapolis after Target rolled back its DEI programmes.
The backlash towards Target is, in part, due to the fact Target was previously considered very progressive and became a leading advocate for DEI following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.
Even before Trump took office, a growing number of companies had backtracked on their DEI commitments following vocal opposition from right-wing pundits, mainly anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck, who pressured Walmart, Ford, Harley-Davidson, and Tractor Supply to rein in their DEI efforts.
Boycotts have been shown to work in the past, with beer brand BudLight previously suffering economically after conservatives initiated an “anti-woke” boycott against the brand over a brand campaign featuring trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Now, with this pro-DEI boycott, the shoe seems to be on the other foot.
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