Target Boycott: Inside the CEO’s meeting with Black leaders amid DEI protests

In 2021, Target CEO Brian Cornell made a memorable comment about George Floyd, who was murdered by police in 2020 in an act that sparked outrage over long-standing injustice against Black Americans. “He could have been one of my Target team members,” Cornell said. 

He pointed to Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, where Target is headquartered, as the catalyst behind several corporate pledges at the giant retailer. Target said it would spend $2 billion on Black businesses by the end of 2025.