For 38 weeks straight, racial justice protesters have been gathering outside a Target in Washington, D.C. to call out the company for suspending its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, aligning itself with the Trump administration’s attacks on DEI.
To put additional pressure on the company, those advocates have been calling for “Target fasts,” in which people completely abstain from purchasing anything from Target.
The boycott began in February, following Target’s suspension of DEI efforts, and was initiated by Until Freedom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to community activism and rapid response. At first, Until Freedom co-founder Tamika Mallory often heard people say that they didn’t feel like they could give up shopping at Target. Now, she said, momentum has picked up — people are happy to be part of the movement and distance themselves from Target completely.
As the holidays rapidly approach, the Target fasts are one of a number of boycotts in protest of ongoing attacks on marginalized communities. Led by coalitions that support Palestinian liberation, immigrant rights and racial justice, boycotts have reached millions via social media and exercised solidarity with other movements and coalitions to amplify their messages. Several are going beyond social media to put multipronged pressure on companies — through in-person actions like the Target protests or “buy-ins” in which protesters purchase and return items to clog up sales lines. Organizers are also getting more sophisticated in educating consumers to make boycotting easier.