pastor jamal bryant
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Rev. Jamal Bryant made waves after announcing a 40-day “fast” of sorts from shopping at Target, and now the clergyman wants to extend the boycott. After assessing Target’s response to demands made by organizers to restore their rolled-back DEI initiatives, Rev. Bryant feels that the corporation hasn’t felt enough pressure.
Rev. Jamal Bryant, the lead pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta metropolitan area, shared an announcement on his Target Fast website thanking supporters of the Lent-inspired fast and shopping at the major retailer. He then shared his renewed focus on moving past the fast and continuing to cease all shopping until changes to DEI at the company are implemented.
From Target Fast:
We are entering a new phase of this movement. What began as the Target FAST — a moral witness and urgent call for justice — now evolves into a full Target BOYCOTT. This shift marks not an end, but a deepening of our commitment to justice and accountability.
Until Target comes to the table with serious, concrete proposals to meet our four demands, we will remain in this posture. Silence and delay are no longer acceptable. Our communities deserve action, not platitudes. Our demands are not radical — they are righteous, reasonable, and long overdue.
It is vital to remember: this boycott is a coalition effort. It is not about any single individual, personality, or public figure. It is about people. It is about power. It is about principle. We stand shoulder to shoulder — workers, organizers, elders, youth, people of faith, people of conscience — in a collective refusal to support a corporation that refuses to hear us.
According to several reports, Target appears to be feeling the brunt of the boycotts with declining shopper numbers since the company did away with DEI, seemingly in response to President Donald Trump’s administration essentially scaling down the practice.
To learn more about Rev. Jamal Bryant’s boycott efforts, click here.
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Photo: Paras Griffin / Getty
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Rev. Jamal Bryant made a public declaration to boycott Target due to its shift in DEI policies assumed to be in response to the Trump-Harris administration’s stances. Rev. Jamal Bryant is urging that the Target boycott take place for 40 days in conjunction with the holy lenten season period, which began on March 5 and extends into April.
As spotted on Newsweek, Rev. Jamal Bryant, Senior Pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Dekalb County, Ga., joined forces with the Black Chamber of Commerce and OurMoneyUnited.com to launch the Target Fast. A quick scan of the website for the organized boycott effectively explains the aims of the 40-day ban from shopping at the major retail giant.
From Target Fast: (click to learn more)
This Lent, we will begin a corporate fast, starting with Target, as a spiritual act of resistance. Just as Jesus overturned the tables in the temple, challenging the exploitation and hypocrisy of his day, we too must disrupt business as usual. Fasting is not just about what we abstain from—it is about what we embrace. By redirecting our resources toward businesses that uphold justice, we embody our commitment to God’s vision of equity and love in action.
This is a fast for accountability. A fast for justice. A fast for a future where corporations do not bow to pressure at the expense of marginalized communities. As we journey through these 40 days, let us pray, reflect, and act—knowing that our collective sacrifice can bring about transformation.
The company has already faced backlash for its rollback of DEI policies, reporting lower than normal earnings totals since making the announcement. The effort from Bryant and the other organizing bodies could extend toward other entities and will assess data collected during the fast, which will end on April 17.
Participants are asked to use the Voter Wallet tool to find Black businesses to support in place of any retailers named in the economic fast.
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Photo: Anadolu / Getty
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