Target CEO Brian Cornell to meet Rev. Al Sharpton following black boycott threat over DEI rollback

Target CEO Brian Cornell is set to meet civil rights leader Rev.Al Sharpton this week in New York amid criticism over the retailer’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.The meeting, which was initiated by Target, follows recent decisions by the retailer to scale back DEI initiatives — a move that prompted backlash from civil rights organizations.Though Sharpton himself has not yet called for an official boycott, he openly supports the consumer movements urging shoppers to avoid Target.“You can’t have an election come and all of a sudden, change your old positions,” Sharpton told CNBC.“If an election determines your commitment to fairness then fine, you have a right to withdraw from us, but then we have a right to withdraw from you.”Sharpton stated he is open to initiating a formal boycott if Target does not reaffirm its support and investment in the black community and black-owned businesses.“I said, ‘If [Cornell] wants to have a candid meeting, we’ll meet,’” Sharpton said.

“I want to first hear what he has to say.”Target confirmed the planned meeting between Cornell and Sharpton but declined further comment.The controversy arose when Target announced in January it would terminate its three-year DEI targets and cease providing company reports to external groups such as the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equity Index.The company also ended certain measures aimed at increasing shelf space for products from Black and minority-owned businesses.Following these announcements, Target experienced declining store visits for 10 consecutive weeks starting in late January, as recorded by data firm Placer.ai.Before this period, store traffic had shown consistent year-over-year increases.Analysts have warned, however, that the drop in the number of shoppers could also be related to larger macroeconomic trends such as high inflation.While this metric does not directly reflect overall sales, the decline coincided with publi...