100,000 signatures reached
To: Target CEO and Board of Directors
Petition to Reinstate Target’s DEI Programs
Dear Mr. Cornell and Members of the Board,
We are writing as loyal customers, employees, business partners, and community members to urge Target to fully reinstate its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. These initiatives are both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity for Target’s continued success in today’s diverse and competitive marketplace.
For years, Target has been a beacon of inclusivity in corporate America. Your DEI programs—such as increasing Black workforce representation by 20%, supporting minority-owned suppliers, and donating to social justice causes—have positively impacted countless lives while enhancing Target’s brand reputation. Scaling back these efforts risks alienating employees and customers who value inclusivity and social responsibility.
Through Target's DEI initiatives, employees have found opportunities to grow their careers in inclusive environments, customers have felt seen and valued through inclusive marketing campaigns, and minority-owned businesses have thrived thanks to your supplier diversity programs.
The evidence supporting DEI is overwhelming:
- Diverse companies perform better. Organizations with inclusive teams are 70% more likely to capture new markets.
- Consumers care about corporate values. Studies show 76% of consumers prefer brands that commit to social equity.
- Employees thrive in inclusive workplaces. Scaling back DEI leads to lower morale, higher turnover, and lost talent.
Reducing DEI efforts could harm Target’s reputation as a socially conscious leader. Employees feeling undervalued or excluded could lead to higher turnover, customers who value inclusivity may choose competitors who align with their values, and communities that benefited from Target’s investments may lose trust in the company.
That’s why we’re calling on Target to:
- Fully reinstate its DEI programs with transparency about progress toward these goals
- Publicly reaffirm its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as the company's core values
- Continue investing in initiatives that support underrepresented communities, minority-owned businesses, and inclusive hiring practices
Why is this important?
This petition matters because diversity and inclusion aren’t just nice ideas—they’re about real people’s lives and opportunities. When big companies like Target back away from supporting underrepresented communities, they close doors for talented employees, small business owners, and customers who deserve a fair chance.
By standing together, we can remind Target that their commitment to diversity isn’t just good business—it’s about doing what’s right.
We also invite the public—employees, customers, business partners, and community members—to share their stories about how Target's DEI programs have impacted them. These personal narratives will demonstrate how diversity and inclusion initiatives create tangible, meaningful change in people’s lives—from career opportunities to community support.
Stories will be carefully curated to protect individual privacy while highlighting the broader impact. We’ll select narratives illustrating how Target’s DEI initiatives have created opportunities, fostered belonging, and driven positive change across different communities and professional environments.
How it will be delivered
We’ll deliver the petition and stories directly to Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis, creating a powerful document that shows the human impact of diversity programs. Professionally bound and organized, these real experiences will demonstrate how inclusion changes lives and why walking away from these commitments matters to people across the country.