The leader of an ongoing boycott of Target stores nationwide is now calling for an electronic protest of Dollar General.
In an interview with USA Today, Jamal-Harrison Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia said the protest doesn’t involve asking consumers to avoid shopping at Dollar General stores. Instead, Bryant is asking supporters to flood the company’s email accounts and phone lines demanding the company restore its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Bryant accused the company of bowing down to efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to curb DEI policies.
“Dollar General also needs to be held accountable for failing to invest in the very Black and low-income communities that make up the backbone of their customer base. This isn’t just a corporate retreat − it’s a betrayal of the people they profit from,” Bryant said.
The plan doesn’t call for a boycott because in many areas of the country, Dollar General is one of the few grocery options available. While Bryant says people can boycott if they want, those in food deserts aren’t expected to avoid shopping at Dollar General. The protest will include a social media campaign that will pressure the company to reverse course as well.
The discount retailer currently operates more than 20,000 locations in the U.S. Earlier this year, it announced it planned to close nearly 100 locations, but would also be opening roughly 575 stores this year.
Along with jumpstarting the Dollar General protest, Bryant announced the Target boycott is now an indefinite campaign. In February, Bryant organized a 40-day boycott of Target that coincided with Lent. Since the deadline for the boycott has passed without any meaningful action from Target, Bryant says the movement will continue.
Bryant organized the boycott after Target announced it was pulling back from its DEI initiatives four days after Trump was inaugurated. As part of the changes, Target said it was eliminating hiring goals for minority employees, and putting an end to an executive committee focused on racial justice.
While it’s unknown exactly how much of an impact the boycott has made, as of today, Target’s stock is down nearly 30% for the year.
