As retailers like Target and Amazon drop DEI, some Black customers drop them
By Janelle Griffith and Claretta Bellamy
March 20, 2025
Protests from conservatives and a new president in the White House who describes diversity initiatives as “illegal and immoral” have cleared the runway for private companies to roll back or completely abandon diversity, equity and inclusion commitments. Companies, including Target, Walmart, McDonald’s and Amazon, announced plans to scale back or cut DEI programs in their businesses, signaling to some Black customers that it’s time to rethink where they spend their cash.
NBC News spoke to nearly two dozen Black people across the country about why they are boycotting certain companies and the impact that changes to DEI initiatives have had on their spending habits.
Walmart did not respond to requests for comment about the boycotts. Target declined to comment about the boycotts or the feelings expressed by people who spoke to NBC News. It referred NBC News to a fact sheet about its “belonging” strategy. Amazon said the company is “committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company that helps us build the best range of products and services for our broad customer base.” McDonald’s declined to comment and referred NBC News to the company’s commitment to inclusion.
The protest isn’t just about DEI, said Trevon Logan, a professor of economics at Ohio State University. The abandonment of corporate pledges five years after the protests sparked by George Floyd’s murder in 2020 is also motivating boycotts.
“Many of the companies that are being targeted are not just companies that derive a significant share of their business from Black customers; they’re also companies that employ a large number of Black people,” he said, “who would be in environments where DEI policies could make their work environments safer, better and more productive.”
Black Americans have a collective $1.3 trillion in annual purchasing power, according to some estimates. The total purchasing power of U.S. consumers is more than $17 trillion, said Vicki Bogan, a professor of public policy at Duke University.
Both economists said that for the boycotts to have a marked impact, they will have to be sustained and reach beyond Black consumers.
“If there is buy-in from other communities, then I think there could be enough pressure to change the corporate behavior in a shorter amount of time,” Bogan said.
While Black shoppers aren’t the only people boycotting, Logan pointed to organizing “stemming from Black religious institutions.”
According to Bloomberg Second Measure data, a grassroots “economic blackout” on Feb. 28 had no discernible effect on overall U.S. consumer spending or spending at major retailers. Even with limited impact, Bogan said, the one-day blackout was “successful in raising awareness for this cause.”
Nonetheless, many of the people who spoke to NBC News said they are committed to shopping locally, buying from Black-owned stores when possible and avoiding the box stores that are dropping DEI in the long term.
