The move comes after President Trump ended Day’s employment in government jobs and encouraged the private sector to do the same.
Target is ending its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program and other equity initiatives, the retailer says, and these aimed at increasing racial and ethnic representation in the workplace. It has become the latest US company to take back the policy.
Target said Friday that this year it is a rollback program aimed at promoting racial equity called the Racial Equity Action and Change (Reach) Initiative.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump issued a clean-up order directing federal agencies to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and encouraging private companies to do the same.
Companies have focused on workforce diversity for decades, but modern DEI initiatives took off after nationwide protests in 2020 over police shootings of unarmed Black people.
But last year, several major companies, including Walmart, Amazon, and Meta, in the face of public pressure and after Trump’s November election victory, who had long criticized Day’s initiatives, announced that their Policy returned.
“Years of data, insight, listening, and learning have shaped the next chapter of our strategy,” Kiera Fernandez, Target’s chief community impact and equity officer, said in a memo, adding that it will “evolve.” He added that it is important to take a step forward. External scenery.
In 2022, Target committed to investing more than $2 billion in Black-owned businesses by the end of 2025 as part of its Reach goal.
The initiative included plans to add more than 500 Black brands and a funding program from in-house media company Roundle to increase exposure for diverse brands through paid media.
The retailer added that it is renaming its “Supplier Diversity” team to “Supplier Engagement” to better reflect its “inclusive global sourcing process.”
At a retail conference in New York this month, Target CEO Brian Cornell said the company’s growth over the past few years has led to investing in its people and creating a culture of care and growth.
Citing internal research to showcase its people-driven culture, the company said, “7 out of 10 people feel they care about[their targets]as people, not just as employees.”
“In retail, you have life-changing opportunities,” Cornell said during a keynote session at the National Retail Federation conference.
Late last year, larger rival Walmart said it was cutting back on some of its DEI initiatives.
In contrast, on Thursday, Costco Wholesale shareholders voted strongly against a proposal that would require a report on the risks of sustaining its diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Minneapolis-based Target has landed in the crosshairs of conservative backlash in the past.
In 2023, Target pulls some LGBTQ-themed items from its stores, leading to more conflict between shoppers and employees, and product incidents being thrown on the floor.
The company has been selling LGBTQ-related merchandise tied to Pride Month for years, but has faced growing criticism for carrying those products, including from conservative news outlets and Republican politicians.