After months of economic pressure and a nationwide boycott campaign, Pastor Jamal Bryant has announced that the “Target Fast” has officially ended, but the organizers of the boycott aimed at Target Corporation before Bryant’s fast say the movement itself is far from over and are pushing back against the declaration.

“We speak for us, and we will never sell out our community for crumbs or a seat at Target’s corrupt table,” said a fired-up Nekima Levy Armstrong, who insisted the boycott would continue despite Bryant’s announcement.

The effort sought to hold the retail giant accountable after backlash erupted over its retreat from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments in January 2025.

“We are effectively, today, closing this chapter because we have other fights that we’ve got to see,” Bryant said during a press conference on March 11. “Stay tuned for the next fight, but this fight for us has now reached its conclusion.”

Still, some people remain unconvinced, arguing that the fight for accountability is far from over. Activists in Minneapolis said they will continue to refrain from shopping at the major retailer until they reinstate their DEI policies.

What did the Target Fast accomplish?

The “Target Fast” began in March 2025 as a 40-day boycott aligned with Lent, but it ultimately stretched into a year-long campaign. Bryant said that during that time, the company followed through on many of the commitments he and fellow activists Tamika D. Mallory (Until Freedom) and former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner (We Are Somebody) had laid out when they first started negotiating with the retailer.

According to Bryant, organizers called on the company and its new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, to reinstate a “reimagining” of its DEI policies and commit $2 billion toward Black-owned businesses and community-led initiatives. He said the company is now “97%” complete on those commitments and expects to fulfill the remaining balance by Easter. The pastor also revealed that Target plans to distribute an additional $100 million in grants to Black organizations and causes, and that the company had partnered with Black-owned brands, suppliers, and media companies as part of its efforts to meet those goals.

HBCUs were a critical focus under the agreement. According to the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor, Target launched a pilot HBCU partnership designed to equip students with business skills and create a framework for deeper engagement with historically Black colleges and universities. The company also provided $10 million to Detroit’s Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design, which had recently been on the “brink of closure,” and contributed an additional $8 million toward its Target Scholars program. 

Bryant said the boycott also helped spur leadership changes within the company.

“Thirteen percent of the board of directors is now minorities,” he told the audience during the press conference. “They can stand toe to toe against any other Fortune 500 company with their diversity measures,” he boasted proudly.

In an interview with USA TODAY on Tuesday, Pastor Jamal Bryant also pointed to a new company program called Belonging, an employee inclusion initiative, “which gives access to everybody, not just for entry-level positions, but to be able to ascend into C-suites.” He added, “It is essentially DEI as I read it. It is the exact same thing.”

However, materials provided by Bryant’s organization to USA TODAY clarified that Target did not make new concessions or reverse the policy changes it implemented after President Donald Trump took office in January 2025 and issued an executive order to dismantle DEI initiatives. 

 “There are no new commitments, no reversals,” Ebony Porter-Ike, a spokesperson for Bryant, confirmed.

Target said it welcomed the opportunity to move forward following the boycott and emphasized a renewed focus on rebuilding trust.

“We’re pleased to be moving forward, and we will continue showing up as trusted neighbors while delivering results for our team members, guests, and the more than 2,000 communities in which we serve,” a spokesperson said.

So far in 2026, the company’s share price has climbed more than 20% after a difficult 2025 marked by declining foot traffic and falling net sales in part due to the boycott, Business Insider reported.  

2 Boycotts, 1 mission.

What started as a protest outside checkout lines quickly evolved into a nationwide economic movement. There were two boycott initiatives seeking accountability from the bullseye retailer. The “Target Fast” was a focused, faith-based campaign that asked supporters to stop shopping at Target for 40 days beginning on the first day of Lent. The initiative was designed as a spiritual and economic protest against the retailer’s rollback of DEI commitments.

By contrast, the Target boycott refers to the broader and ongoing effort by activists and organizers to pressure the company financially until those concerns are addressed. The nationwide boycott effort first gained traction in late January 2025. It was initially announced on Jan. 29, 2025 in Minneapolis by civil rights attorney and Racial Justice Network founder Nekima Levy Armstrong. It began on Feb. 1, 2025.

Two days later, on Jan. 31, 2025, Turner and Mallory announced a second boycott effort. They later joined forces with Bryant to organize the “Target Fast.”

Reactions

Some people weren’t pleased with Pastor Jamal Bryant’s announcement on Tuesday and demanded further accountability.

Notably, even with the “Target Fast” ending, co-organizer Nina Turner said she is not yet ready to return to Target stores until the company issues a public apology to the Black community, according to Business Insider.

She reiterated that stance in a post on X shared Tuesday that read:

“I’m not going back to Target. And you shouldn’t, either.”

Some social media users and activists have also expressed skepticism about returning to Target. In Minnesota on Tuesday, Nekima Levy Armstrong, Monique Cullars-Doty and Jaylani Hussein said Bryant does not speak on behalf of the broader coalition. They also stressed that the boycott effort originated in Minnesota following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. a news conference, where they confirmed their protest would continue.

The organizers said they plan to keep the boycott in place in response to the company’s rollback of DEI measures and will maintain economic pressure until their demands are addressed. Armstrong also pointed to other concerns, noting that Target donated $1 million to the Trump-Vance inauguration committee. She further alleged that the retailer “allowed” ICE agents to “stage” in its parking lots and that some of the company’s employees were later targeted by ICE.

“The main demand, the reason we launched the Target boycott, has not been meant, which is the fact that we asked Target to reverse its decision to rollback diversity, equity and inclusion, that has not happened,” said Armstrong. “So, this Target boycott is not over. We’re asking people, continue to stand with grassroots leadership in the state of Minnesota… and not clout chasers, not fake pastors and not fake activists trying to co-opt our work.”

She also urged the public to double down.

“We stood for us and with the community,” Levy Armstrong said. “We speak for us, and we will never sell out our community for crumbs or a seat at Target’s corrupt table. So we are asking people to continue to double down and hold Target accountable. The boycott continues.”

Journalist Dawn Montgomery said she would stand in solidarity with the Minnesota boycott even though Bryant’s initiative had concluded.

“If the Target fast is done then so be it,” she penned in part. “But to me, THE BOYCOTT isn’t done.”

Actor Telvin Griffin echoed a similar sentiment. 

“Uhhh is Target walking back everything and rejecting all of Trump’s policies towards the negro community and other people of color? If not then people will and must continue to boycott.”

SEE MORE: 

Target Under Pressure To Take A Stand Against ICE

Target Messed Around And Found Out, Reports 1st Quarter Sales Slump

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