People across the Valley and around the country are speaking out and taking action as a 40-day boycott of Target continues in response to the company’s decision to roll back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The backlash follows the Trump administration’s move to dismantle DEI programs nationwide, sparking debates about the future of diversity efforts in both public and private sectors.
In January 2025, Trump issued Executive Order 14151, titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” directing federal agencies to terminate all DEI-related mandates and activities. This decision has sparked debates about the role of DEI in our government.
Following the federal mandates, Target Corporation announced the conclusion of its three-year DEI goals and the dismantling of its Racial Equity Action and Change initiatives on January 24, 2025. The retailer also ceased participation in third-party diversity surveys, including the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
Community leaders have voiced strong opposition to the rollback of DEI programs.
Pastor Terry Mackey is one of those leaders in opposition to Trump’s dismantling of DEI programs, “The very fact that you are a white man living in a White House built by Black people proves that DEI is alive and well, because the White House is a house built by DEI.”
He further highlighted the role of DEI in addressing systemic injustices:
“We just want those who are in power… to treat us as they would any other of their counterparts,” Mackey said.
Another Valley community leader, George Dean, CEO of the Greater Phoenix Urban League, expressed concern about the broader implications of ending DEI initiatives, calling the recent changes “a mistake on the part of the Trump administration.”
He told Northeast Valley News that eliminating DEI policies could reverse decades of progress.
“It is something that is going to take us back to a time when there was really segregation and integration… It’s going to hurt many of the people that voted for this present administration.” He called for unity and continued advocacy: “We all have to stick together. We have to unify.”
The U.S. administration’s stance on DEI has also caused friction internationally.
France and Belgium, among other European countries, have resisted U.S. pressure to abandon DEI initiatives. French Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin stated that France will not comply with U.S. demands that French companies with U.S. government contracts abandon DEI practices, viewing such demands as an attack on European jurisdiction and non-discrimination policies.
As the boycott against at least one retail corporation continues, opponents of Trump’s dismantling of DEI policies promise to extend their efforts to other companies, as the conflict between Trump’s policies and corporate values intensifies.
