Churches push for activism in response to nixed DEI efforts

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Americans who are unhappy with businesses that dropped their DEI initiatives are speaking with their dollars.

The latest protest from a Georgia church calls for a 40-day fast of Target. It comes as a Philadelphia church has developed its own form of activism

“On Sundays, it is packed,” said Rev. Brittany Mingo, associate pastor at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in West Oak Lane.

The church has a congregation of up to 15,000 people. Many of them are participating in the holy season of Lent.

“During that time, what you see believers globally doing is stepping away from something, sacrificing something,” said Mingo.

One church in the Atlanta area is asking its members to sacrifice shopping at Target. It’s being called a 40-day fast of Target. Customers are boycotting the company for abandoning many of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies.

Enon Tabernacle Senior Pastor Alyn E. Waller knows the Georgia pastor who came up with the idea.

“We need to hold larger corporations accountable for our impact on our community,” said Waller.

It’s why, last month, Waller developed a different push for economic activism. It’s an initiative that the church calls “Black Up Wednesday.”

“Each Wednesday, we’re asking individuals to be intentional about if I’m spending a dollar, I’m going to make sure this dollar goes into a Black business,” said Waller.

“While we are taking away our dollars from corporations and companies who do not support people who look like us, we also need to pour into our community,” said Mingo.

“These boycotts can really have an impact if they snowball,” said Swarthmore College Associate Professor of Economics Syon Bhanot.

He thinks that while initiatives like the 40-day fast could be just a drop in the bucket for Target’s profits, they do have potential.

“The question is about magnitude. Do you get enough people actually supporting a boycott such that it resonates into the boardroom?” he said.

The real impact, he said, would be if boycotts went beyond a certain timeframe.

“The more impactful thing is saying, ‘You know what, forget this company. I’m done with you,'” he said.

“We wanted to do something that had a positive spin,” said Waller. “It’s not what we’re against. It’s what we’re for.”

As different churches take different approaches, the message is the same.

“It’s all saying, ‘Hey we matter,'” said Waller.

Enon features local Black businesses in a morning devotional every day. The church has also developed a directory feature for Black businesses, which is accessible on its website: https://enontab.org/

The Georgia Church that created the 40-day Target fast says so far, tens of thousands of people have signed up.

Action News reached out to Target but has not received a response.