Target is pledging to ensure that Black employees make up at least 20 percent of its workforce. The Minneapolis-based corporation based their goal on a diversity report of 2019.
Target stated that the data indicated a need for more “equitable outcomes for Black team members.” For this ethnicity only, the corporation promises to broaden leadership pathways, develop hiring and retention programs, increase mentorship and sponsorship programs, and tailor benefits.
For all other, non-Black employees, Target will mandate “anti-racist trainings.”
“The changes we’re making are going to have a meaningful impact on the careers of our Black team members and prospective team members,” stated the Vice President of Human Resources/Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Kiera Fernandez. “Additional leadership development, training programs, and mentorship for our Black team members, along with a focus in areas of the business where our Black representation is not as strong, will offer new career development opportunities for our team members for years to come.”
Last month, the corporation created the Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) committee. REACH is devoted exclusively to Black individuals in all aspects of their company: including employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and so forth.
The corporation also pledged $10 million “to advance social justice and support [Black] communities” immediately after George Floyd’s death. Since then, Targets across the nation remain a consistent target for rioters. The first wave of riots in the Twin Cities caused 24 stores to close due to ransacking.
The Minnesota Sun asked Target’s media contact whether this initiative would hinder non-Black individuals from being hired or advancing in the company, how the corporation determines who qualifies as a Black individual, and what the specific plans were for each of its promises. Target Corporation did not respond by press time.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Minnesota Sun and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Target Store” by Mike Mozart. CC BY 2.0.
