Megachurch Pastor Jamal Bryant led a prayerful protest outside a Target store in Conyers, Georgia, on Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while pushing a national boycott of the retail chain over its decision to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
“Five years ago, the CEO of Target said George Floyd could have been one of his employees and, with no pressure, made a pledge of $2 billion,” Bryant, who leads New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, said during the protest, according to Black Press USA. “To see mega-companies now walk away from diversity, equity, and inclusion is a stark contrast from where we were five years ago.”
Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died on Monday, May 25, 2020, in the custody of four now-fired Minneapolis police officers as he was arrested for using counterfeit money.
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Floyd’s death, which was caught on video, triggered violent protests in that city, which spread to other locations across the country, including Memphis and Los Angeles. The approximately 10-minute video of the encounter shows a handcuffed Floyd lying face down, begging for his life and crying for his mother while Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. A medical examiner who testified during the trial said that Floyd’s heart disease and use of fentanyl were contributing factors in his death but were not the direct cause.
Bryant’s protest, which was supported nationwide by 67 churches, lasted 9 minutes and 29 seconds, which was confirmed as the official amount of time Chauvin, who was convicted of murder, knelt on Floyd’s neck.
“The exact amount of time that Derek Chauvin applied pressure to George Floyd’s neck, we are applying pressure through prayer,” Bryant said, according to 11 Alive.
Laretta Wright, a protester at the demonstration, echoed Bryant’s statement, calling for Target to be held accountable.
“If you’ve made a promise or a commitment to the people, that’s all we ask — that you follow through,” Wright told Black Press USA. “Don’t fall back and tell us to go back because we ain’t going back. We’re going forward.”
Bryant’s protest at Target comes after he rejected an offer by the company last month to settle the DEI dispute by fulfilling its pledge to invest $2 billion in black-owned businesses by July 31.
That rejection also followed a 40-day protest fast by Bryant and his supporters, which included not shopping at Target. That effort is part of a larger grassroots Target Fast campaign. The campaign called on Target to honor a pledge to invest $2 billion into black-owned businesses, deposit “250 million amongst any of our 23 black banks,” restore “the franchise commitment to DEI,” and “pipeline community centers at 10 HBCU to teach retail business at every level.”
“The people are speaking, and they are speaking with a loud and clear voice. We are sick of the attacks on diversity equity and inclusion. And we’re using our dollars to send a message,” Gerald Griggs, president of the Georgia NAACP, told 11 Alive.
Responding to the protest on Sunday, Target said in a statement to 11Alive that the company is committed to catering to everyone.
“Target is absolutely dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone — our team members, our guests and our supply partners. Today, we are proud of the progress we’ve made since 2020 and believe it has allowed us to better serve the needs of our customers,” the statement said.
“In the last five years, we have: committed to invest $2 billion in black-owned businesses and brands within five years; supported students at over 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); invested $100 million to black-led community organizations; given scholarships to over 30,000 members of our team to advance their careers; committed 5% of our profits to the communities we operate in; volunteered millions of hours to organizations across the country and created meaningful opportunities for our team members to thrive both personally and professionally,” it continued.
“Going forward, we’re committed to expanding opportunity by supporting small businesses, increasing access to education, and creating the best team to serve the more than 2,000 communities where Target operates.”
Several large U.S.-based corporations have reevaluated their DEI policies in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling, which found that the admissions policies of the University of North Carolina and Harvard University that use race as a factor were unconstitutional. Bryant hasn’t commented on why he is only focusing the boycott’s attention on Target.
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