Yusef Jackson, Rev. Jamal Bryant and Rev. Jesse Jackson with demonstrators (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback).
At the corner of State and Madison, in the heart of downtown Chicago, demonstrators knelt in prayer before launching into protest. They weren’t just calling out Target. They were calling out corporate America.
Led by Rev. Jamal Harrison Bryant and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, clergy, community leaders, and activists gathered June 12 and 13 outside Target’s flagship store to demand that the retail giant honor its $2 billion racial equity pledge made after the murder of George Floyd. That commitment, protestors say, has quietly eroded.
“This is just about Target. But this is about corporate America,” said Rev. Stephen J. Thurston during a moment of prayer. “We recognize that Black dollars deserve Black dignity.”
‘Keep Your Promise’
Rev. Otis Moss III leads marchers in prayer (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback).
Faith leaders such as Pastor Otis Moss III and Rev. Charlie Dates began the event with prayer, scripture and compelling oratory, drawing on the historical power of the Black church and the examples of civil rights trailblazers such as Septima Clark and Fannie Lou Hamer.
“We come here in front of Target to put a target on Target,” said one speaker. “Every corporation in America who is afraid to look in the direction of DEI or to look in the direction of Black people—if you won’t look in our direction, then you cannot have our dollars.”
Rev. Dates reminded the crowd: “This is a promise that you made… to honor the people who shop in your store. And now you’re reneging.”
‘We Want Dignity or We’ll Withhold Our Dollars’
Reverend Ciera Bates-Chamberlain of Live Free Chicago, Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina, Rev. Dr. Janette Wilson, Esq. of Rainbow PUSH and Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback).
Yusef Jackson, COO of Rainbow PUSH, called for mutual respect and transparency in Target’s dealings with the Black community.
“You can’t expect us to have foot traffic in a store and not be able to sit at the table with you and make decisions,” Jackson said. “We are not boycotting people. We are protesting your policies.”
He criticized the company for abandoning its pledge to invest in Black communities after former President Donald Trump’s re-election, stating, “Magically, after the inauguration… he reneged.”
Jackson added that only one of four Target executives the coalition met with had followed up, calling it unacceptable. “How can we call ourselves people of good conscience and settle for one out of four?”
‘This Is About More Than Just One Store’
Demonstrators march in front of the Target store on State Street, downtown Chicago (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback).
In a fiery address, Rev. Bryant said Target is just a symbol.
“All of America is grieving and groaning,” Bryant said. “Target is not just a store—it has become a way of life.”
He pointed to immigration raids targeting schools and churches, attacks on academic freedom and DEI programs, and the rise of white nationalist sentiment as signs that America is regressing.
“We actually thought that we were living in a post-racial America,” Bryant said. “This is almost reminiscent of a Woolworth’s lunch counter.”
He laid out four demands to Target:
- Reimagine and recommit to DEI, particularly for Black communities.
- Support and establish Target stores or partnerships at six HBCUs.
- Provide equal business partnerships, not just shelf space for Black-owned products.
- Honor the original $2 billion pledge to the Black community made after George Floyd’s death.
“We do not come in the posture of beggars,” Bryant said. “We are extending our hand as partners.”
‘Respect Black Dollars’
A young demonstrator in front of the Target store in downtown Chicago (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback).
For people like Steven Saunders, a board member of Rainbow PUSH who joined the protest, the stakes are economic and moral.
“We are hoping to break the shackles on the African American community, the Hispanic community, women,” Saunders said. “We want equal rights. We want the ability to have employment, to have good healthcare, and right now, we need retailers to respect Black dollars.”
Standing in Solidarity
In prayer and protest, the speakers called for a new moral awakening—one rooted in unity, not division. One speaker referenced bulls being colorblind to red flags: “The bull only attacks when it sees movement,” he said. “We are under attack, not just because of our color, but because there is a movement.”
With hands lifted and fists raised, the crowd prayed not for destruction but for justice.
“History will record,” said Rev. Bryant, “that we did not come with bayonets. We did not come with rifles. We came with prayer.”
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