“It’s been a year and I’m grateful. They didn’t think we could do it, but we did it. History was just made.”
On March 11, Atlanta pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant posted a video online claiming to end an official boycott of retail giant Target.
Bryant is one of the leaders of a national movement to punish Target for rolling back DEI policies that prioritize employee diversity, equity and inclusion.
He is also the senior pastor of New Life Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch in southeast Atlanta.
Kobe Bryant calls year-long boycott a ‘victory’
In the nearly two-minute-long video, Bryant called the Target boycott “the most effective and powerful black boycott since the Montgomery bus boycott seventy years ago.”
He said the company has invested $2 billion in the Black community, plus an additional $100 million in community needs committed following the death of George Floyd. Bryant said the company has agreed to work with HBCUs, or historically black colleges and universities, starting with a pilot program that will expand to include 12 organizations. He also said “DEI is reimagined,” a policy change that sparked the boycott.
According to Bryant, these were three of the four goals achieved by the boycott.
“This new CEO is here to handle the business and I’m excited to be with him,” Bryant said.
However, many comments on the video asked to see the specifics of how the money was invested and where responsible consumers could verify the claims.
Materials provided to USA TODAY by Bryant’s organization show that Target appears to have made no concessions or changes following its actions last year, with a spokesperson saying there were no new commitments and no reversals.
“They have a program called Belong that gives everyone the opportunity, not just entry-level positions, but to be able to move up to the executive level,” Bryant told USA Today. “What I read is essentially DEI. It’s the exact same thing.”
Other black leaders say boycott isn’t over yet
Local activists in Minnesota said they were among those who launched the national boycott, and a movement Bryant started called “Quick Target” later emerged. Jaylani Hussein, the group’s leader, said in their view the boycott was far from over.
“What we learned today is that Target said they have made no concessions, made no demands, and changed their policies, and they will continue to pursue their plan to continue to deny diversity, equity and inclusion at this company,” Hussein told CBS News.
Another leader, Levy Armstrong, told the media: “Continue to redouble our efforts to hold Target accountable. The boycott continues.”
Who is Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant?
Bryant was not only a pastor in Georgia, but also an activist, author and podcaster, according to his own website.
Bryant recently interviewed gubernatorial candidate and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on his podcast.
Bryant earned a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta and a master’s degree in divinity from Duke University. He received a PhD from Oxford University’s Graduate Theological Foundation, according to his church website.
Bryant is joined in the leadership by his wife, Karri Bryant, who serves as executive pastor of creative/experience ministries.
New Life Church has its own history as it hosted homecoming ceremonies for Coretta Scott King and three presidents, including former President Barack Obama.
Bryant joined the church in 2018 after a nationwide search. He is a third-generation pastor who has planted thousands of churches in Baltimore.
Irene Wright is an Atlanta Wire reporter on USA TODAY’s Deep South Wired team. Find her at @IreneEWright or email ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta pastor at center of Target boycott now says he’s going back
