By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National
Correspondent
Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network (NAN) are considering boycotts and other action against companies that have backed down from their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. On Thursday, Sharpton met with Target CEO Brian Cornell at NAN’s corporate headquarters in New York City. NAN National Board Chair Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson and NAN Senior Advisor Carra Wallace joined him.
“This morning, I had a very constructive and candid meeting with Brian Cornell that included NAN National Board Chair Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson and NAN Senior Advisor Carra Wallace,” Sharpton said in a statement following the meeting. “I am going to inform our allies, including Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, of our discussion and what my feelings are, and we will go from there.”
Thursday’s meeting marked Sharpton’s second high-level discussion with a corporate executive this week. On Tuesday, he met with PepsiCo Chairman Ramon Laguarta and PepsiCo North America CEO Steven Williams at the company’s global headquarters in Purchase, New York. The talks centered around reports that PepsiCo had rolled back nearly $500 million in DEI commitments.
“We agreed to follow up meetings within the next few days,” Sharpton said in a separate statement following the PepsiCo meeting. “After that continued dialogue, NAN Chairman Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson and I, both former members of the company’s African American Advisory Board, will make a final determination and recommendation to the organization on what we will do around PepsiCo moving forward, as we continue to deal with a broader swath of corporations with whom we will either boycott or buycott.”
Sharpton plans to consult with NAN’s board over the Easter holiday before determining what actions to take against Target, PepsiCo, or other companies accused of retreating from their DEI programs under pressure from Donald Trump and far-right groups.
Since announcing changes to its DEI structure, Target has faced sustained backlash from Black consumers. Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant has organized a widely supported “TargetFast” that’s help result in declining foot traffic at Target locations. Still, concern has emerged over Sharpton’s failure to involve Bryant or the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) in discussions with corporations. The NNPA is the trade association representing the Black Press of America. A spokesperson for Sharpton acknowledged that including the 198-year-old Black Press is necessary.
“I know that Rev. Sharpton has particularly addressed the lack of ad dollars that have gone to the Black Press by some of these corporations historically and even now,” the spokesperson said. “He’s even spoken specifically about that at the National Action Network convention.”
Led by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., the NNPA has been at the forefront of a public education and selective buying campaign following Target’s DEI rollback announcement. Chavis, who said he plans to reach out to Sharpton, has maintained that he’s confident that Sharpton is working on behalf of all African Americans including the Black Press. Alison Taylor, a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and author of Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World, said Target’s brand is already suffering.
“My gut is that they’ve realized they misstepped and are trying to figure out a positive path,” Taylor told Retail Dive. “So, keeping the substance won’t necessarily make up for a loss of trust. It’s a sad story, as I think Target is well-intentioned and caught between a rock and a hard place.”
After a modest 3.6% increase in store traffic in January, Target saw foot traffic drop by 9% in February and 6.5% in March. During the same period, foot traffic rose at Costco and held steadier at Walmart. Sharpton said he and the NAN board would weigh all input before deciding on the next steps.
“We had the meetings,” he said. “Now comes the moment to decide what happens next.”
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