Target CEO’s $3B growth plan collides with ongoing Minneapolis‑led boycott over DEI and ICE
Target’s $3 billion growth plan to open new stores and win back customer trust is running up against an ongoing Minneapolis‑led boycott that local activists say remains “indefinite” over the company’s 2025 rollback of DEI measures and its allowing ICE to stage in parking lots and detain people during Operation Metro Surge. At a March 11 news conference outside Target’s Minneapolis headquarters, civil‑rights leader Nekima Armstrong rejected claims the boycott was over and accused Target of “going around” local organizers; Target responded that it is “more committed than ever” to growth and opportunity as quarterly results show profits stabilizing after five straight quarters of sliding sales.
📌 Key Facts
- On March 11, local civil‑rights leader Nekima Armstrong and other Minnesota activists held a news conference outside Target’s Minneapolis headquarters declaring the Target boycott continues and remains 'indefinite,' and accusing Target of 'going around' true local organizers.
- Activists say the boycott is rooted in Target’s 2025 rollback of DEI measures—which they argue was done to 'capitulate to the Trump administration'—and in Target’s decision to allow ICE to stage in its parking lots and detain people inside stores during Operation Metro Surge.
- Armstrong publicly rejected Atlanta pastor Rev. Jamal Bryant’s Washington, D.C. claim that the boycott was over, saying he does not represent the movement.
- Target issued a statement saying it is 'more committed than ever' to growth and opportunity and is 'moving forward.'
- Recent quarterly results show Target's profits stabilizing after five straight quarters of sliding sales.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minnesota, the unemployment rate for Black residents was 7.7% in August 2025, up from 5.2% the previous year, compared to the national average for White workers of 3.4% in 2025.
Black workers bear the brunt of a stagnant U.S. job market — Star Tribune
Top countries of origin for Minnesota's immigrants include Mexico, Somalia, India, Laos, and Ethiopia, with Mexicans remaining the largest group.
FACTS: Who Has Legal Status in Minnesota? — Minnesota Women's Press
Somali immigration to Minnesota began with refugees fleeing the civil war in the 1990s, facilitated by federal refugee resettlement programs, and has continued through family reunification and job opportunities in the 2020s.
How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. — NPR
Target's DEI rollback has created uncertainty for Black-owned suppliers, such as BLK & Bold, which sells at 1,500 Target locations, with no immediate changes to current relationships but concerns over eroded trust.
Target Went All In on D.E.I.; Its Sudden Pullback Has Black Sellers Reeling — The New York Times
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Local civil‑rights leader Nekima Armstrong and other Minnesota activists held a March 11 news conference outside Target’s Minneapolis headquarters to declare that the Target boycott is continuing and remains ‘indefinite.’
- Activists say the boycott is rooted in Target’s 2025 rollback of DEI measures, which they argue was done to ‘capitulate to the Trump administration,’ and in Target’s decision to let ICE stage in its parking lots and detain people inside stores during Operation Metro Surge.
- Armstrong publicly rejected Atlanta pastor Rev. Jamal Bryant’s Washington, D.C. claim that the boycott was over and said he does not represent the movement, accusing Target of ‘going around’ local organizers.
- Target responded with a generic statement saying it is ‘more committed than ever’ to growth and opportunity and is ‘moving forward,’ and recent quarterly results show profits stabilizing after five straight quarters of sliding sales.