Consumers who want to boycott Target should instead spend their dollars on products from Black-owned businesses at the retailer, said April Showers, founder and chief executive of toy, apparel and home goods brand Afro Unicorn, which has been sold at Target since 2022.

Critics are calling for shoppers to boycott Target over its DEI policy reversal – but black-owned brands are asking customers to keep shopping at Target stores.

Anger at Target surged after it followed other companies that abandoned DEI programs, but Black-owned businesses that struggled to earn shelf space there urged critics to focus on buying minority-owned companies' products instead.

Some Black entrepreneurs say that would just hurt them. Target Corp.’s announcement Friday that it would roll back some of its diversity initiatives has sparked a call to boycott the Minneapolis-based retailer — and some Black-owned brands are pushing back.

As retailer Target faces calls to boycott shopping there, the black-owned brands whose products it sells are pleading with consumers not to. Target is the latest to stop its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies,