Target Boycott 'Victory' Called Sham by Minneapolis Activists — Real Protest Is Just Beginning

The year-long Target boycott over diversity policies is finished. That is, unless you ask the people who say they started it.

Hours after Rev. Jamal Bryant declared victory at a Washington press conference on 11 March, Minneapolis activists gathered outside Target headquarters to reject his claim outright.

Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, activist Jaylani Hussein, and organiser Monique Cullars-Doty accused Bryant of taking credit for what Levy Armstrong called 'a movement built on the blood, sweat, and tears of the people of the state of Minnesota.'

'The Target boycott continues,' Levy Armstrong said at the rival press conference. 'From the beginning, we said the Target boycott would be indefinite, unless and until Target took the steps to address the fact that they rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion in order to capitulate to the Trump administration.'

The public split exposes deeper fractures within Black economic activism and raises uncomfortable questions about who gets to declare victory in civil rights movements.

What Target Actually Agreed To

Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, stood alongside activist Tamika Mallory and former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner at the National Press Club. He praised Target for fulfilling its 2021 commitment to invest $2 billion (£1.5 billion) in Black-owned businesses.

'We are claiming victory,' Bryant said. 'We've got to celebrate small steps.'

But a spokesperson for Bryant's coalition confirmed there were no new commitments and no policy reversals. Target agreed only to complete a financial pledge it made four years before the boycott began.

In a statement, Target said it is 'pleased to be moving forward' and will continue serving its more than 2,000 communities. The Minneapolis-based retailer made no mention of reinstating the diversity programmes it quietly dismantled in January 2025.

Two Boycotts or One

The friction is not new. Levy Armstrong launched her national boycott in late January 2025 to coincide with Black History Month. Bryant's 40-day 'Target Fast' began weeks later during Lent. Both claimed grassroots momentum, and both pointed to the same grievance: Target's retreat from commitments it made after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020.

'At the end of January 2025, we called for a nationwide boycott of Target. His 40 days fast began in March,' Levy Armstrong said. 'How did 40 days turn into him being seen as the leader of the nationwide Target boycott?'

Hussein rejected the victory claim entirely. 'What we learned today is that Target has said they have not made a single concession. They are staying the course on their plan to continue to deny diversity, equity, and inclusion.'

Immigration Joins the Fight

The Minneapolis activists have now expanded their demands. They want Target to ban federal immigration agents from using its parking lots as staging areas.

During Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) campaign in the Twin Cities, protesters documented federal agents operating near multiple Target locations.

'ICE has been staging operations at Target parking lots all across the city,' organiser Elan Axelbank stated.

Target has not publicly responded to the demand.

A Bruised Retailer Trying to Recover

Target shares have fallen roughly 20% over the past 18 months, though the most recent quarter showed early signs of stabilisation. The stock is up more than 20% so far in 2026.

New chief executive Michael Fiddelke, who replaced Brian Cornell last year, has outlined plans to open 30 new stores this year and rebuild consumer confidence.

As Fiddelke looks toward a recovery, the protesters still holding the line at Target's headquarters serve as a reminder that for some, the conflict is far from over.