One of the first things President Donald Trump did upon his return to the White House was to sign an executive order eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs nationwide. And as we found out during Pride Month, many corporate sponsors dropped their sponsorship of those events. But as usual, Democrats and the left have no problem doing a little arm-twisting to get what they want when it comes to all things DEI. Now, an infamous group of House members is putting the squeeze on a corporation that is discovering that once you cave to those woke demands, you are trapped.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is threatening to put the screws to retail giant Target in the form of a boycott. This is in response to Target's announcement that they would be ending DEI initiatives, including the termination of a corporate sponsorship program that has been an economic boon to the group's nonprofit arm.
In 2020, in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, a stampede of companies and corporations donated huge sums of money to various enterprises that pledged to further the cause of social justice. Target was at the front of the line, donating at least $1.4 million to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, a think tank that works with the caucus. Target then pledged $1 million over the next five years through its "Racial Equity Action and Change" (REACH) initiative to "advance social justice and racial equity for Black individuals," which was topped off with a $200,000 donation for "meeting expenses" in December to "honor" several caucus members.
But Target shut down the DEI cash flow after the Trump executive order, and also announced that they would be cutting back REACH and revisiting "corporate partnerships to ensure they are directly connected to our roadmap for growth." The CBC Foundation appeared to be ripe for slashing. Now, the CBC has decided they need to show Target who's boss, and is essentially saying to them, "nice retail chain you got there, would be a shame if there was a boycott" unless they reinstate DEI programs. The CBC's politely worded statement after a meeting with Target CEO Brian Cornell read in part that they:
...warned that efforts to restore consumer and public trust without genuine action and accountability would risk inflicting lasting damage to the company’s brand and credibility.
Translation: get in line or else.
However, the chairman of the conservative watchdog group, National and Legal Policy Center, Peter Flaherty, is wise to the CBC's game, saying:
The Congressional Black Caucus threat of a boycott after Target ended financial support has all the earmarks of a shakedown. CEO Brian Cornell has always been an easy mark for racial activists.
Flaherty also noted that, ironically, Cornell met with Rev. Al Sharpton earlier this year about a potential boycott. What a coincidence.
The CBC and its "foundation" have been the subject of scrutiny as far back as 2010. CBC members have been big backers of some of the heaviest donors to the foundation, including the online poker industry and AT&T. And you know it's sketchy when even liberal groups like Color of Change and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have questioned the CBC and its relationship with the foundation. The New York Times has also written that the CBC and the CBC Foundation "are so deeply connected it is sometimes hard to tell where one ends and the other begins."
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As for Target, they are finding out exactly what happens when you cave to Democrats and the left on anything. Once you do it, you are trapped, and there is no easy way of getting out. And how do they know that if they do pony up the cash, the CBC still won't call in their boycott foot soldiers? The answer is, they don't. Target's hard learned lesson: When you go woke, there is more than one way you can go broke.
"The CEO also emphasized that Target’s values of 'inclusivity, connection, drive' are 'not up for debate' and said that the company is 'committed' to sharing how its values create an impact."
This reversal came after Cornell met with Al Sharpton.
We are losing this battle.