When the Rev. Boise Kimber was first installed as the president of the National Baptist Convention USA in January, he announced the creation of an economic development committee to meet with politicians and major corporations that have been rolling back their initiatives to address diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Many of our people buy from Walmart, Target, McDonald’s, and so those people certainly would have to come to the table to talk about the diversity and talk about the inclusion of Blacks in their business,” he told the Associated Press.
Now the 66-year-old leader of the organization with 31,000 churches and 75,000 members is facing a stinging online backlash after news broke that they had accepted a $300,000 donation from Target amid a monthslong boycott of the retailer.
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In response to the company’s rollback of robust DEI initiatives launched in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020, Pastor Jamal Bryant and the estimated 10,000 members of New Birth Baptist Church have been the driving force behind the national boycott against Target in metro Atlanta.
Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Target CEO Brian Cornell admitted to employees that the boycotts had “played a role in our first quarter performance” on the company’s quarterly earnings call. Quarterly sales have dropped to $23.85 billion, a 2.8% decline from the first quarter last year.
What began as a 40-day Target fast in March has expanded into an indefinite boycott until the company’s leaders agree to four demands put forth by Bryant: honor its previous $2 billion pledge to the Black business community, deposit $250 million across 23 Black-owned banks, establish community retail centers at 10 HBCUs, and fully recommit to DEI at every level of the company.
On Sunday, Bryant did not mince words with his congregation when he told them about his call with Kimber and shared his feelings about the Target donation.
“I said, ‘Rev, we can’t go out like that,’” Bryant shared from a sermon entitled “Something’s Gotta Break.” “I told him he’s got one week to send me in writing that the Baptist Convention stands with the boycott, stands with the oppressed, stands with the marginalized, stands with the nameless and faceless people who are on the front lines.”
Bryant, in front of an energized crowd, also took Target to task for hiring influencers, rappers and entertainers to break the boycott, by paraphrasing from the movie, The Color Purple.
“Until you do right by me, nothing you do is gonna work.”
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In a press release, Kimber stated that the partnership with Target is based on a “shared commitment to community empowerment through small-business and entrepreneur development, investments in education and student support, and workforce and skill development that unlocks growth across our communities.”
Kimber noted that the current donation from Target will help the convention “provide scholarships, support senior citizens, and invest in entrepreneurship programs that uplift our people and the future.”
