Calling for continued economic action and community solidarity, the Rev. Dr. Jamal H. Bryant launched the second phase of the national boycott against retail giant Target this week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises.
“They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant told the packed sanctuary. “Now they want to break those promises quietly. That ends tonight.”
The town hall marked the conclusion of Bryant’s 40-day Lenten season “Target fast,” which started officially on March 5, Ash Wednesday, after Target pulled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. Among those was a public pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025—a pledge Bryant said was made voluntarily in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
“No company would dare do to the Jewish or Asian communities what they’ve done to us,” Bryant said. “They think they can get away with it. But not this time.”
The evening featured voices from national movements, including civil rights icons and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who reinforced the need for sustained consciousness and collective media engagement.
“On the front page of all of our papers this week will be the announcement that the boycott continues all over the United States,” said Chavis. “I would hope that everyone would subscribe to a Black newspaper, a Black-owned newspaper, subscribe to an economic development program — because the consciousness that we need has to be constantly fed.”
Chavis warned against the bombardment of negativity and urged the community to stay engaged beyond single events.
“You can come to an event and get that consciousness and then lose it tomorrow,” he said. “We’re bombarded with all of the disgust and hopelessness. But I believe that starting tonight, going forward, we should be more conscious about how we help one another.”
He added, “We can attain and gain a lot more ground even during this period if we turn to each other rather than turning on each other.”
Other speakers included Tamika Mallory, Dr. David Johns, Dr. Rashad Richey, educator Dr. Karri Bryant, and U.S. Black Chambers President Ron Busby. Each speaker echoed Bryant’s demand that economic protests be paired with reinvestment in Black businesses and communities.
“We are the moral consciousness of this country,” Bryant said. “When we move, the whole nation moves.”
Sixteen-year-old William Moore Jr., captured the crowd with a challenge to reach younger generations through social media and direct engagement.
“If we want to grow this movement, we have to push this narrative in a way that connects,” he said.
Johns stressed reclaiming cultural identity and resisting systems designed to keep communities uninformed and divided.
“We don’t need validation from corporations. We need to teach our children who they are and support each other with love,” he said.
Busby directed attendees to platforms like ByBlack.us, a digital directory of over 150,000 Black-owned businesses, encouraging them to shift their dollars from corporations like Target to Black enterprises.
Bryant closed by urging the audience to register at targetfast.org, which will soon be renamed to reflect the expanding boycott movement.
“They played on our sympathies in 2020. But now we know better,” Bryant said. “And now, we move.”
