In 2021, Target CEO Brian Cornell made a memorable comment about George Floyd, who was murdered by police in 2020 in an act that sparked outrage over long-standing injustice against Black Americans. “He could have been one of my Target team members,” Cornell said.
He pointed to Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, where Target is headquartered, as the catalyst behind several corporate pledges at the giant retailer. Target said it would spend $2 billion on Black businesses by the end of 2025. In 2020, the company also enacted policies designed to hire and promote more people from underrepresented groups, including people of color and people who identify as LGBTQ+.
