The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to meet with Brian Cornell, Target CEO, as the retail giant continues to face backlash for its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.
Target requested the meeting after Sharpton, who leads the National Action Network (NAN), urged Black consumers to avoid shopping at companies that have ended their DEI initiatives, according to CNBC.
Target is one of several major corporations, including Walmart and PepsiCo, to step back from DEI in the aftermath of President Trump’s election.
Trump’s administration has made it a priority to end DEI programs and policies in the federal government. He has also threatened to withhold federal funding for institutions that continue DEI programs.
Target did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment, but a spokesperson for the NAN confirmed a meeting between Sharpton and the retail store is forthcoming.
Earlier this week, Sharpton met with leaders of PepsiCo to discuss reports the company plans to roll back nearly $500 million in DEI commitments.
Sharpton said the conversation was “constructive,” and NAN and PepsiCo will meet again within the next few days.
“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 buy-cott,” Sharpton said in a statement.
Sharpton and his followers have also spent the past several months protesting outside hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s offices each week.
“As attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion escalate nationwide, we’re standing up, not backing down,” Sharpton posted to social media Thursday. “DEI is under siege, and some are acting like it’s already dead. But at NAN, we know the fight is far from over.”