The Black-Led Boycott of Target Seems to Be Working, Even in L.A.

The question raised by the Target boycott is: Can Black people expect corporate America to ever do the right thing?

September 12, 2025

This article was produced by the nonprofit publication Capital & Main. It is published here with permission.

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In the aftermath of the racial unrest that erupted across Los Angeles 33 years ago, many Black residents and leaders hoped to rebuild the economy by bringing back the amenities South Central had been lacking for too long. Topping the list was retail.

The elegant clothing stores that had once populated areas like the Crenshaw District through the 1960s were long gone: By 1992, it was the big chain retailers that conferred middle-class stability and that seemed to be opening everywhere except Black communities — retailers like Trader Joe’s, IKEA, Nordstrom Rack. And Target. 

Target eventually did come, to the foothills of Baldwin Hills in the Crenshaw District, and to Inglewood, among other places. But in the Trump era, an age of rampant inequality made worse by a full-on retreat from racial justice, being here is not enough.

Since January, after Trump assumed office for the second time and immediately began cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, banning them in government and vilifying them in general,

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