The retailer says changes at the top are not related to the action of Black churches after its rollback of DEI programs. Pastor Jamal Bryant calls the protest the most significant movement of Black people in 70 years.
A Target sign is shown on a store on Friday, July 7, 2023. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)
Pastor Jamal Bryant isn’t ready to retire his marching shoes yet.
Last week, after Target announced Brian Cornell is stepping down as the company’s chief executive after 11 years but staying with the Minneapolis-based retailer as executive chairman of its board, Bryant was in his office working on his Sunday sermon.
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yehT“ ruoy ruoy uoy uoy t’ndluow nwardhtiw hguorht esoht .dias detcerider fo ton ton ”,emocni fi spooh eh dah dah og ,srallod lla
Pastor Jamal Bryant of Atlanta’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church spearheaded a boycott of Target this year. (Ben Gray for the AJC)
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saw ot eht gnitegrat dengis gnillor dnopser tnenimorp ,smargorp sredro elpitlum .sevitaitini noisulcni ni sih tsrif evitucexe ytiuqe ,ytisrevid syad yb sdnarb kcab kcab dna dna gnoma etihW pmurT tegraT tnediserP nI ,esuoH dlanoD naciremA
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rehtaew suoirav .ytniatrecnu ciffart ot deit ffirat ,seton gnidulcni ni ,syadiloh toof ,srotcaf snoitidnoc segnahc nac eb dna ,hguohT ia.recalP
s’erehT“ ohw yaw yeht eht eht taht pat :dias fo on yllaitini tcapmi morf rof tsaf ecnad nac dellac ”.ttocyob dnuora a ,tegraT netneL ,tnayrB yad-04
‘A red line’
raey htiw erehw nehw saw saw saw ot ot ot eht naht naht .serots krats dneps lasrever kcabllup seicilop degdelp ylraen deredrum erom erom ,dellik sti sti ni ni deretrauqdaeh morf morf ytisrevid ,ynapmoc seinapmoc stnemtimmoc ytic yb .sessenisub sdnarb dlob noillib decnuonna dna retfa dda a a ehT s’tegraT tegraT ,silopaenniM egroeG dyolF dyolF denwo-kcalB denwo-kcalB denwo-kcalB lirpA 005 5202 ,1202 2$
mehT“ saw rieht eht dias der esimorp tnediserp no fo ”,enil gniog kcab dna na retfa tsivitca a .PCAAN ,sggirG dlareG aigroeG egroeG dyolF aera-atnaltA
yehT“ ynaM“ — — ohw tahw erew erew lacov yrev esu denrut ot ot ot siht yeht sevlesmeht rieht eht eht eht eht s’taht taht taht gnitroppus troppus ees dias secruoser snoitaler lanosrep elpoep trap s’noitazinagro laiciffo fo fo fo ton ton ,srebmem ekil ti si tsevni ”.otni ”,noisulcni ni ni ni ni evorpmi sih pleh sah ,deneppah deneppah doog gniog pag yllaicepse ,ytiuqe cimonoce ,ytisrevid ecnabrutsid dluoc gniunitnoc gniredisnoc ecneicsnoc ,ytinummoc ,yticapac egdirb ttocyob sa dna dna dna dna na lla lla .noitca ,tegraT PCAAN silopaenniM ,sggirG snaciremA nacirfA
Brian Cornell, chairman of the board and CEO of Target, speaks at a financial community meeting, Tuesday, March 5, 2019, in New York. (Mark Lennihan/AP)
teL“ etorw erehw ”.gnirevawnu ot ot derahs ,dias esnopser ,snoitseuq ruo ytinutroppo de-po em ,enizagam si noisulcni eh rof rof tnemtimmoc :raelc eb dna lla a tegraT yluJ nI ecnessE llenroC
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A ‘unique point’ in time
yeht ,selas dias ylerar rosseforp gnitekram tcapmi etareneg od ,noitasrevnoc s’ynapmoc tub ta etaicossa a s’ytisrevinU .loohcS nayR ,notlimaH ateuzioG yromE ssenisuB sttocyoB
erehT“ htiw erehw nehw saw rednegsnart ,hguoht yeht selas .dias erar tnenimorp detemmulp derentrap sti recneulfni ni tih eh ”,drah morf ,snoitpecxe elpmaxe .sevitavresnoc hsalkcab era dna retfa enO yenavluM thgiL nalyD duB 3202
htiw htiw rehtehw nehw erew ,seulav emit rieht eht eht taht taht ,mret ,laicos dnoces .dias dias etanoser .suoigiler stcudorp lacitilop seicilop elpoep ro fo ylgnisaercni eh eh gniworg deifsitassid sremusnoc emac gniyub ttocyob seveileb eb ta era a s’pmurT tegraT emoS notlimaH
sihT“ sihT“ euqinu ”.emit taht .dias sedivorp tniop rotsap tuo ”,noinipo yam ni eh evah rof gnisserpxe semoc neeb euneva dna na a
.sraey htiw eht eht yllaitnegnat selggurts dias deton yam pihsredael detcapmi evah wef etad s’ynapmoc egnahc tub sttocyob kcab a yesleT s’tegraT puorG namdleF yrosivdA
I“ htiw ot ot kniht eht eht eht eht taht dewols selas .dias .dias ecnamrofrep ,kaep ”,cimednap cimednap tuo fo erom snwodkram deggal ti ,yrotnevni yvaeh eh sah sah dah tcaf ssecxe od ynapmoc gnimoc raelc retfa nehW s’tegraT namdleF
werdhtiw htiw ot eht eht esnopser .esidnahcrem sti ti ni ni .spuorg spuorg morf morf decaf tlaed msicitirc evitavresnoc ynapmoc ,noitcelloc hsalkcab osla ycacovda nehW tegraT edirP htnoM +QTBGL 3202
Pastor Jamal Bryant leads service at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (Ben Gray for the AJC)
erots“ sdradnats deppils dias deton evah ”.tib osla a s’tegraT namdleF
ehT“ ehT“ ydit yeht ekat serots .dias etiuq yllamron taen kool ”.regnol elttil senil eh t’nod ”,od sa sa dna a
,keew eerht .ygolonhcet erots gnipmaver :seitiroirp ,esidnahcrem denoitnem tsal gnitsevni gnimocni ni gnivorpmi ecneirepxe sgninrae gnirud remotsuc llac dna na s’tegraT ,ekleddiF OEC
m’I“ I“ htiw er’ew tnegru ot ot eht eht gnippets .dias elor thgir gnizilaer elbatiforp laitnetop ruo ”,won ton wen mutnemom wonk otni ni eh ”.htworg teg lluf tnemtimmoc raelc ssenisub dliub kcab dna dna a
peek“ htiw stnaw ot ot eht dias tseuqer erusserp snalp ”no gniteem eh dna a .ekleddiF tnayrB
er’uoY“ ehT“ htarw ”,niw ohw erew ot ot siht yeht eht eht eht taht sekats ees .dias dezilaer elpoep revo fo fo noitcejbo sdeen ti ,hgih eh sah gniog noitareneg tlef ”.detcepsersid .yrtnuoc suoitneicsnoc gnieb era dna lla tegraT
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
Amy Wenk is the consumer brands reporter for the AJC.
