WASHINGTON—On Sunday, May 25, the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, a group of Black pastors, rabbis, and community members gathered in front of the Target in D.C.’s Columbia Heights neighborhood for a powerful prayer vigil.
The Black clergy responded to the call by Pastor Jamal Bryant, one of the leaders of the nationwide boycott campaign against Target, to pray in front of a local store for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, the time that killer cop Derek Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck as the life went out of his body. According to Bryant, over 50 churches around the country have responded to the call.
The vigil included Rev. Christopher Zacharias of John Wesley AME Zion Church and the D.C. Poor People’s Campaign; Rev. Patricia Fears of Fellowship Baptist Church; Emeritus Rev. Graylan S. Hagler of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ; Rev. Dr. Lewis Tait, Jr., of The Village; Rev. Edward Hailes, Jr.; Rabbi Koach Baruch Frazier of New Synagogue Project; Rev. Dr. Keith Byrd, Sr., of Zion Baptist Church; and Rev. Dr. Clarence Cross.
The pastors and rabbis joined the freedom chorus denouncing racism and lifting up the fight for equal rights for African Americans. The symbolism of the vigil in front of the Target, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, shows that the Black church and community is taking the fight for democracy directly to those who are enabling its rollback.
“So, we will march around the halls of Target and the halls of any corporation that refuses to give proper treatment and sensitivity to all of its customers—Black, brown, gay, straight, whatever it is—their money is still green, and they expect to be treated like human beings,” Rev. Byrd during his sermon.
Pastor Hagler added: “Elon Musk went running back to Tesla because he saw 71% of his revenue drop in the first quarter. One-by-one, we’ve got to hit these corporations. And if it means sending the country into a depression, that’s what we need to do because I am depressed already—maybe not economically, but psychologically—I am attacked and targeted already by the policies of this administration.”
The coalition of pastors continued to call on the D.C. community to participate in the indefinite weekly picket in front of the Columbia Heights Target, which takes place every Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon. It aims to cut all foot traffic into the store and build an ecosystem of consciousness and divestment.
Participants from the #TeslaTakedown actions also attended the vigil and vowed to collaborate and lead actions around Target, recognizing the importance of this struggle in addition to their concentrated efforts around Tesla.
Target’s sales have plummeted, and its share prices have taken a major hit since the boycott began during Black History Month earlier this year. Net sales declined by 2.8% (while Costco’s and similar stores have increased), and foot traffic is down by 4.8% in the first quarter of 2025.
Leaders of the nationwide boycott movement, including Pastor Jamal Bryant, Nina Turner, and Tamika Mallory, consider the effort to be part of the “New Civil Rights Movement” and expect the boycott could last as long as the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott, which stretched nearly a year.
Organizers say the action will continue until all of their demands are met, including Target meeting its $2 billion commitment to Black business, depositing $250 million to Black-owned banks, establishing community retail centers at HBCUs, and fully restoring its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
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