Earlier this year, CEO Brian Cornell shared our team’s steadfast commitment to stand with Black families and fight against racism. Target kicked off the work with a $10 million pledge to advance social justice and support our communities—but that was just the start.
Since then, Target has established REACH—our Racial Equity Action and Change committee—to create an action plan to guide our way. The six founding members are senior leaders from across Target with diverse perspectives and expertise across the business.
In a letter to the Target team this morning, the REACH committee shared thoughts on the importance of these actions. “Brian made clear that Target stands against racism, and when he wrote to us in the days following George Floyd’s murder, he said, ‘The day will come for healing—and our team will join our hearts, hands and resources in that journey.’ Today, we’re sharing how we’ll act on that commitment.”
Djouma Barry, Senior Group Vice President, Stores
Kiera Fernandez, VP, Human Resources and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer
Christina Hennington, EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer, Hardlines, Essentials and Capabilities
Amanda Nusz, VP, Corporate Responsibility
Carlos Saavedra, VP, Marketing
Laysha Ward, EVP and Chief External Engagement Officer
In a letter to the Target team this morning, Brian and the REACH committee shared where they’ll start.
“REACH will focus specifically on how we can drive lasting impact for our Black team members and guests. To determine where to focus, we’ve spent time with many of you, spoken with our guests, reviewed research and tapped into our partners to align around four areas of focus: Team, Guests, Communities and Civic Engagement and Public Policy.”
The REACH strategy is a catalyst that will call our entire team to action, and help every team member and partner understand the roles they play in driving lasting change. Take a closer look:
Target's Commitment to Racial Equity
The need for social justice is undeniable and we’re committed to using Target’s size, scale and resources to create positive change. As an enterprise, we’re focused on four important areas over several years:
Team
We’ll create a workplace where Black team members can build meaningful careers and experience success at every level.
We’ll focus on development, career progression and advancement of Black team members.
We’ll increase Black representation and reduce turnover at every level.
We’ll institute anti-racism training and education for all team members, to build a culture of inclusion and equity.
Guests
We’ll create environments where Black guests feel overtly welcome and see themselves represented across our products, marketing and shopping experiences.
We’ll help advance Black-owned and Black-founded businesses by providing access to our resources and expertise.
We’ll source and design significantly more products from Black creators, designers, vendors, agencies, contractors and suppliers.
We’ll partner with those who share and uphold Target’s anti-racist policy standards.
Communities
We’ll find new ways for Target to accelerate the prosperity of Black communities.
We’ll prioritize philanthropic investments and design volunteerism to address racial inequities in Black communities.
We’ll work on an approach to store development and remodels that creates solutions with community partners.
Civic Engagement & Public Policy
In our work with policy makers, Target will address key issues that will help end systemic racism, including safety and police reform, education and economic opportunities.
We’ll support non-partisan efforts to encourage fair, accessible and safe voting.
We’ll accomplish all of this by:
Setting measurable goals
Listening, learning and iterating
Tracking and reporting our progress
As REACH’s work moves forward, our companywide commitment to diversity and inclusion remains. Our teams will continue pushing for progress on our existing goals across a wide range of initiatives. Watch for news about more of our plans and progress in the coming weeks.
