Leaders of a high-profile boycott against Target announced Wednesday they are ending their yearlong campaign sparked by the retailer's decision to scale back some diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Why it matters: The moment gives Target an opening to frame the episode as a reputational reset under new CEO Michael Fiddelke.

• In recent months, Fiddelke met with campaign leaders as part of what the company described as a more proactive stakeholder engagement strategy.

Catch up quick: Target said in January 2025 it was scaling back some diversity initiatives days after President Trump returned to the White House.

• Weeks later, Jamal Bryant, pastor of pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, launched a 40-day Lent boycott, arguing the company had retreated from post-George Floyd commitments.
• The boycott, which drew inspiration from historic campaigns in Montgomery and Birmingham, became part of a broader push by some Black leaders to use economic pressure in response to corporate DEI rollbacks.

What they're saying: Target said in a statement to Axios it will "continue showing up as trusted neighbors while delivering results for our team members, guests, and the more than 2,000 communities in which we serve."

Zoom in: At a National Press Club briefing on Wednesday, Bryant said the campaign was "officially concluding" and "The Target Fast entity of the boycott is claiming victory."

• "We are effectively today closing this chapter because we have other fights that we've got to see and other things that we've got to tackle," he said.

Friction point: Target's DEI rollback affected some Black-owned brands and community partners tied to the retailer.

• BLK & Bold co-founder Pernell Cezar previously told Axios he was "disappointed" in the move, and Atlanta mental health nonprofit Black Men Smile also partnered with the retailer through initiatives tied to those programs.

Go deeper

☘️ Don your green, find a shillelagh and make your way to Midtown for Atlanta's longest-running event.

• The St. Patrick's Day Parade down Peachtree Street featuring floats, bands, dancers and bagpipes kicks off at noon. (Sat.)

Here's what else is happening:

😆 Margaret Cho brings her political "Choligarchy" tour to Buckhead Theatre. (Sat.)

🪩 The quirky, rock-infused family musical "Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience" takes the stage at the Alliance Theatre. (Sat.-Sun.)

🎭 "Come From Away," a musical about a small Newfoundland community on 9/11, plays at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. (Fri.-Sun.)

🎵The Atlanta Soul Flower Music Fest celebrating R&B, hip-hop and community vibes takes over Shirley C. Franklin Park. (Sat.)

🏀 The Atlanta Hawks host the Bucks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Sat.)

Sold out but worth a search: 🎷 EDM act Levity taps multiple genres over two nights at The Eastern. (Fri.-Sat.)

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If you feel like your seasonal allergy symptoms start earlier each year, it's not your imagination.

• Allergy season is getting longer in many U.S. cities amid climate change, according to a new Climate Central analysis.

Why it matters: A drawn-out allergy season means prolonged sneezing, sniffling, wheezing and coughing, which can greatly affect a person's quality of life.

The latest: The freeze-free growing season for plants lengthened from 1970 to 2025 in nearly 90% of the 198 cities analyzed in the climate research group's latest report.

• That's the time between the last and first freeze, used here to represent allergy season.

Zoom in: Allergy season has lengthened the most in the Northwest, where the freeze-free period is now 31 days longer on average.

• In Atlanta, the season is, on average, 37 days longer.

Zoom out: Some cities have it worse. Eugene, Oregon, El Paso, Texas, Raleigh, N.C., and Concord, N.H., all saw their seasons increase by at least 40 days.

Stunning stat: The allergy season in Reno, Nevada, has grown by an eye-watering 100 days. For Las Cruces, N.M., the season is 65 days longer.

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