Major companies announce end to DEI efforts, local business partners react
COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. — Minneapolis-based Target has announced they are cutting DEI efforts. This comes after the Trump Administration signed an order ending DEI programs within the federal government.
"I guarantee you there are some Black business owners waking up this morning like me... they have a dilemma... they have a decision to make," said Sheletta Brundidge, who hosts a podcast geared towards the Black community.
That decision is whether to work with those companies eliminating DEI efforts. She says Target's DEI sponsorship was a big part of launching her business, but Brundidge says she no longer supports the company after it scaled back it's DEI programs.
"It is inconvenient, but so was the Montgomery Bus Boycott," Brundidge said.
The "Belonging to the Bullseye" program helped black entrepreneurs develop and test products at Target. That program was developed at Target's Minneapolis HQ following George Floyd's killing.
Brundidge says there's no mistaking the help the initiative provided to her and many other black entrepreneurs.
"I was able to take that money, hire two employees, upgrade my equipment, get more contractors," Brundidge said. "And now, was it intentional? Did they mean it? Did they ever really care about us."
The company said it was going to end this initiative anyway and posted a statement to its website.
Walmart, Amazon, McDonald's and Meta are also ending DEI-focused programs.
But the move has her wondering about what this means for the future.
"I should not have to be fighting the fight that my great-grandmother fought. We should be further along... they're not just rolling back DEI but they're rolling back progress," Brundidge said.