'Church protest marks Floyd's death, urges Target boycott'

 

• • Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is leading a nationwide prayer protest on the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death, urging churches to demonstrate outside Target stores for nine minutes and 40 seconds.
  • The peaceful protests aim to oppose Target’s rollback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, which Bryant says reflect a step backward in the pursuit of justice.
  • Bryant expects about 50 churches across the country to participate, calling the effort a "spiritual act of uprising" and a continued stand for racial equity and corporate accountability.

CONYERS, Ga. - The pastor of a prominent DeKalb County megachurch is calling on churches nationwide to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death with a peaceful prayer protest aimed at supporting racial justice and denouncing corporate rollbacks in diversity initiatives.

What we know:

Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is leading the movement, which includes a prayer vigil scheduled for Sunday afternoon outside a Target store in Conyers. The vigil is part of Bryant’s ongoing protest against Target’s recent decision to scale back its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.

What they're saying:

"Can you believe it’s been five years since the whole world watched the murder of George Floyd? And five years later, we’re still in pursuit of justice," Bryant said.

He is asking churches across the country to hold prayer demonstrations outside Target stores, standing for nine minutes and 40 seconds to symbolize the time Floyd was restrained during the 2020 incident that sparked global protests.

"I’m asking churches around the country to go outside of a Target for nine minutes and 40 seconds to exemplify what happened on that day, and to model that we’re not going backwards," Bryant said.

Bryant initially called for a boycott of Target in March, criticizing the company for what he sees as a retreat from its DEI commitments.

"But now, almost 15 weeks, we stayed outside of Target because they have modeled that they don’t believe in liberty and justice for all," he said.

Target has faced declining sales, with company leadership citing a range of factors, including tariffs and economic pressures. A spokesperson told Business Insider that the company remains committed to fostering inclusivity for all customers.

Still, Bryant believes more must be done.

"I don’t want you to go inside. This is a spiritual act of uprising, of prayer for nine minutes and 40 seconds. The revolution will happen through prayer, and I believe that it’s going to take time," he said.

Bryant shared on social media that he expects about 50 churches across the country to participate in similar events outside Target stores.

You can learn more at TargetFast.org.

The Source

• Information for above story taken from Pator Bryant's Instagram account, Business Insider, and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting. 

• https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/dekalb-pastor-marks-floyd-anniversary-target-prayer-protest

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