The pastor of a 10,000-member church in the US state of Georgia has criticised his denomination for accepting a $300.000 (£220.513) donation from Target after the retailer’s controversial decision to ditch its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) schemes.
During a recent sermon, Rev Jamal Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, accused the National Baptist Convention (NBC) of “selling out” after it accepted the donation.
Pastor Jamal has been a high-profile critic of Target and its practices for some time. Earlier this year, he urged his congregation to give the company a 40-day fast during Lent as a form of protest against what he views as the corporation's abandonment of its commitments to racial equity.
Target, a major discount retail chain with almost 2,000 stores across the US, is facing criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. The backlash comes amid wider national debate, as Donald Trump’s administration moves to dismantle federal DEI infrastructure, halting DEI-related roles and denouncing such policies as undermining meritocracy.
Critics claim the retailer offered race-based programmes that favoured Black and minority workers, allegedly violating civil rights laws. Conservative groups argue this amounts to “reverse racism”.
However, others are calling for the company to honour its pledges to invest more in Black businesses, to support Black-owned banks and to partner with business programmes at historically Black colleges and universities.
Against this backdrop, Pastor Jamal took issue with the denomination’s decision to accept Target’s latest $300,000 donation, accusing both the company and the NBC of attempting to sideline him and “buy” support from the Black faith community.
“You thought you were going to go around me and go to the National Baptist Convention and sell out for $300,000?” he said, according to The Independent. “Are you crazy to think that we gonna’ sell out for chump change? You must not know who we are!””
He added that he had called the president of the National Baptist Convention, Rev Boise Kimber, asking that the denomination stand with him in the boycott.
In a statement, Kimber said the donation would help the church “provide scholarships, support senior citizens, and invest in entrepreneurship programmes that uplift our people and the future”.
In its defence, Target said it is “proud to be partnering with the church to make a meaningful impact in communities across the country by supporting access to education, economic development initiatives and entrepreneurship programmes”.