We ain’t buying it: Why we boycott Target

For a long time, Target—that popular mega store that seemed to hit just the right combination of low prices and of-the-moment swagger—was everyone’s darling, the go-to spot for everything from groceries to electronics, clothing, kitchenware and toys. Its diversity, equity and inclusion programs were beloved, and won customer loyalty among Black and Latino shoppers especially. Target committed $2 billion to support Black-owned businesses, supported Black entrepreneurs and increased its number of Black employees.

But shortly after President Trump took office in January 2025, with his aversion to all things “DEI” and threats of funding cuts and disfavor for those who practiced inclusion, Target abandoned those policies.

Customers are not having it, and as the holiday season approaches, the Target boycott that began earlier this year is renewed and gaining momentum, inspired in part by its own success.

It began with Black history

In February, Nina Turner, Tamika Mallory and the Rev. Jamal Bryant spearheaded a Target boycott for Black History Month; in March, Bryant led a “Target Fast,” and more than 200,000 people vowed to stop spending at Target during the 40 days of Lent. Latino Freeze, a similar boycott, added strength to the movement.

To win its customers back, Targetfast.org demanded the chain honor its former commitment to the community by doing the following:

• Fulfill its $2 billion pledge to the Black business community;
• Make a $250 million investment into 23 Black-owned banks;
• Establish 10 retail training centers at historically Black colleges and universities; and
• Fully restore and recommit to DEI principles.

The retail giant did not restore its formerly robust program, and for many customers, its charm had vanished. Operating income is down 19 percent, according to The Street; foot traffic has fallen and the company’s value plummeted by $84 billion by August, Forbes reports.

On Labor Day, the AFT announced a resolution supporting the boycott. It’s not the first time the AFT has used its economic heft for justice. As the resolution states, “from calls for corporate divestment during South African apartheid to supporting the United Farm Workers’ grape boycott, from standing with postal workers in the boycott of Staples for outsourcing union jobs, to campaigns targeting gun manufacturers, private prisons and fossil fuel corporations, the AFT has consistently aligned our financial influence with our values―demonstrating that organized labor’s economic power is a vital tool for advancing justice, dignity and equity for all.”

The resolution calls on Target to meet the demands of “Target Fast,” and calls on Target and other companies “to recognize their role in advancing―not undermining―racial equity, labor rights, and democratic inclusion, and to invest meaningfully in the communities whose labor and consumer power fuel their success.”

“This movement comes at a crucial moment—when American workers find themselves at the whim of billionaires and board rooms that are more invested in money over people,” said Weingarten, when the resolution first passed. “We want this resolution—and the full weight of our nearly 2 million members—to be a reminder to Target that there are consequences to dismissing the will of the American worker and that, until they do right, our members will be spending their money in places they feel respected and recognized.”

Flexing our economic muscle

The renewed movement to hold Target accountable is called We Ain’t Buying It. Expanding its focus, it also calls for a hold on spending at Home Depot, for its reluctance to prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement on its properties; and Amazon, for financially supporting Trump for its own financial gain.

We each have individual economic power when we choose where we spend our dollars. Avoiding businesses with unjust policies is one part of the picture. Supporting businesses that more accurately represent our beliefs is another.

Rodney Fresh, a high school social studies teacher and the Detroit Federation of Teachers treasurer, says he and his wife were in Target once or twice a week, but since the boycott started he’s refused to return. His family has transferred their prescriptions to CVS, he has a subscription for socks with Stance, and he will be buying his signature bow ties from a local vendor at Detroit’s holiday pop-up market this week.

Keith McCall, president of the Mount Vernon Federation of Teachers in New York and a member of the AFT African American Task Force, hasn’t been to Target in a year and a half. He remembers one day in particular when his allergies were making him miserable—and he was right next to a Target. “It would be easy to just run into Target real quick and get some allergy medicine,” he says, but he made a conscious decision and waited an hour until he could get to a CVS. This holiday season, he is encouraging colleagues, friends and family to shop locally and support small businesses that depend on holiday sales.

But how is this union work? The DEI policy is part of the answer, says McCall. “One of the purposes of unions is to have people come together and be inclusive of individuals regardless of their background, their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation,” he says. Our common bond is that we are all workers.

“It was a no-brainer for the AFT to get involved,” says Fresh, who is also a member of the AFT’s African American Task Force. “We’ve always stood up for workers’ rights and diversity and equity. The boycott gets to the core principles of what the AFT is all about.”

[Written by Virginia Myers; Illustration  by AFT staff; Photo: bgwalker / Getty Images]