Pastor Jamal Bryant Calls For Digital Protest Against Dollar General
On May 25th, hundreds of people knelt in prayer outside of local Target stores to commemorate the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. The prayer lasted for 9 minutes and 29 seconds—the exact time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck, according to Afro.com.
Faith leaders across the country led the prayer, including Pastor Jamal Bryant, who had led the 40-day boycott against the retailer, which has now evolved into a complete cancellation. “Effective immediately. Target is canceled,” he said. The company doesn’t “value who it is that we are. You don’t honor what it is that we bring to the table. You don’t respect our dollars.”
Now he’s calling on consumers to boycott Dollar General.
The most successful boycott in 70 years
Bryant called for a 40-day boycott against Target, which began on Wednesday, March 4. The movement spanned cities including Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, Florida, and Alexandria, Virginia. The “Target Fast” coincided with Lent, when some Christians observe fasting.
In an interview with CNN OutFront on May 28, Bryant highlights that the boycott is the most successful boycott by Black people in 70 years since the Montgomery bus boycott. “They’ve lost $1 billion in valuation. Their stock tumbled from $145 a share to $93 a share. The CEO’s salary was cut by 43%,” Bryant said.
Dollar General boycott
Last year, Dollar General fired its chief diversity officer, according to The Street. “Like other corporations, Dollar General has bowed to pressure from the Trump administration and rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives,” Bryant told USA Today.
“Dollar General also needs to be held accountable for failing to invest in the very Black and low-income communities that make up the backbone of their customer base.”
However, unlike the Target boycott, where consumers were called to stop shopping at the retailer, Bryant is calling for an electronic-based call-in and email boycott. Bryant acknowledges that several of the retailer’s stores are in rural areas where it isn’t easy to find food.
“A lot of our family members in rural communities are at the hands of Dollar General because of food deserts that bring a whole other conversation,” he told USA Today.
Instead of a physical boycott, consumers are being urged to inundate Dollar General’s email account, phone line, and social media with messages to encourage the retailer to reverse its action on DEI efforts. The effort will begin immediately, according to Bryant.
Image: Griffin/Getty
