August 29, 2025
Dr. Jamal Bryant urges Rick Ross to join the Target boycott after the rapper shared a shopping video at the retailer.
Dr. Jamal Bryant is calling out Rick Ross publicly for shopping at Target, despite an ongoing boycott against the mega-retailer for rolling back its DEI efforts.
The New Birth Missionary Baptist Church leader, who is slated to speak at the 2025 BLACK ENTERPRISE XCEL Summit For Men, took to Instagram on Aug. 26 to repost a video he saw of Rick Ross’ recent Target shopping date with his girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick. The clip, originally shared by Ross on his Instagram Story, shows him riding in a shopping cart as the couple browses for household items after first entering the store to pick up supplies for making Cinnabons.
“What are we here for?” Ross asks Jazzma, to which she responds, “We’re [here] for kitchen utensils and looking for kitchen appliances, and then we’re going to head over to the grocery aisle.”
“The Cinnabons reeled me in, guys, but as you can see, I’ve been kidnapped,” Ross said.
Bryant, who launched a 40-day “fast” from Target back in March that has since expanded into a nationwide boycott, says the protest is aimed at holding the retailer accountable for betraying its commitments to Black consumers by rolling back its DEI initiatives. Using his platform, the pastor and activist called on Ross to stand with the Black community by joining the boycott.
“Hey family @richforever … you are an incredibly influential figure for the culture who many aspire to emulate,” Bryant wrote. “To that end I thought it important to share with you that the community has been boycotting @target because of their disregard for our value and a disrespect for the dollars we spend.”
“Don’t let them divide us! When we as a whole understand our economic strength and the power of unity, 63 years after the march on Washington, every day we shouldn’t be hustling ✊🏾🙌🏾….respectfully BE the BOSS not the pawn!” he added.
Since the boycott began, Target has lost $12.4 billion in market value, with reports showing a 3.8% drop in first-quarter 2025 sales and a 3.1% decline in second-quarter foot traffic. Most recently, CEO Brian Cornell stepped down after 11 years. Yet as the retailer holds firm in scaling back its DEI initiatives under pressure from the Trump administration, consumers appear equally firm in keeping the boycott going.
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