Pastor Jamal Bryant Faces Backlash for Saying Target Boycott Is Over | Marc Explains

TL;DR

Pastor Jamal Bryant declared the Target boycott over after claiming partial concessions, but critics say he co-opted a movement he never started.

Key Points

• 1.Jamal Bryant announced the Target boycott was over in a video filmed outside a Target store. He claimed victory after one year, citing $2 billion invested in Black communities (pledged post-George Floyd), an additional $100 million to local organizations, an HBCU partnership pilot program, and a 'reimagining of DEI.'
• 2.Bryant did not start the boycott — three local activists did. Nikima Levy Armstrong, Galani Hussein, and Monnique Colors Dih launched the nationwide boycott starting February 1, 2025, rooted in Minnesota where George Floyd's death sparked the original movement.
• 3.Bryant's involvement was limited to a 40-day fast from Target beginning in March, not a leadership role in the broader boycott. The original activists explicitly rejected his declaration, with Galani Hussein stating 'Don't be fooled — the Target boycott continues' because core demands remain unmet.
• 4.Commentators openly speculated that Target paid or incentivized Bryant to end the boycott. Marc noted Bryant made concessions he had no authority to make, saying 'You can't stop a movement you didn't start,' while one host directly asked 'You think he took a check?'
• 5.A key unresolved demand — investment in Black banks — was never achieved, undermining Bryant's 'victory' claim. Critics also noted 300,000 Black women lost jobs during this period, and the hosts highlighted a pattern of men overriding Black women-led movements without even consulting the original organizers.