Black Americans hold $2 trillion in collective buying power. Together, we're a powerful economic force. In early 2025, in response to Target's decision to reverse its commitments to racial equity following President Trump's return to office, we pulled the lever on one of our most important mechanisms: the boycott.
Historically, boycotts have worked in our favor. There was the 381-day 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, and in 1981, Jesse Jackson led a boycott against corporate America, forcing the Coca-Cola Company to hire more Black workers and invest over $30 million in our communities.
Last year, Target lost nearly $12.5 billion in market value and saw declines in foot traffic, stock, and sales. So when Jay-Z recently announced an exclusive partnership with Target for a special collector's edition of his 30-year-old Reasonable Doubt album, it set off a controversy.
Many people online are criticizing the deal for undermining Black consumers' efforts to continue boycotting Target. And defying boycotts isn't new for the rapper. In 2019, Jay-Z partnered with the NFL despite activists calling for a boycott of the league due to their firing of Colin Kaepernick for kneeling on the field in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Jay-Z defended the deal, saying: "I think we've moved past kneeling and I think it's time to go into actionable items."
Action works when we move together. For those working to better Black futures, we must know that not everyone will join us in the liberation struggle, and that's okay. Let's stay focused.