June 4, 2025
The pastor wrote the open letter for the rap superstar to join their cause.
Cardi B has some explaining to do after the rapper posted a picture of herself and her children at Target amid a nationwide boycott.
Pastor Jamal Bryant, who initiated the Target boycott, reposted a photo of Cardi to his Instagram, urging her to join their movement. The protest started in response to Target’s scaleback of DEI initiatives, which heavily impact its Black-owned brands, employees, and consumers.
Bryant started the message with a “chest full of love,” as he detailed why he and hundreds of thousands have joined the effort to not shop at Target.
“Over the past couple of months there has been a national boycott against @target because they have betrayed our community by dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion,” he wrote in the open letter. “African Americans have spent 12 million dollars a day and yet they don’t see us a viable partner. We’ve asked them to invest in Black banks, Black colleges and Black communities and under pressure from the administration they haven’t felt compelled to even respond.”
He continued by noting how the boycott has notably impacted Target’s earnings. The retailer’s foot traffic and stocks have declined for weeks, with many attributing it to the coalition of church and community organizations remaining steadfast in this approach. He also appealed to Cardi’s massive social media following, emphasizing how her influence could further their cause.
“When I saw you post a picture of you and your beautiful family in the store I felt certain that with your demanding schedule you were probably unaware. Having 163 million following you is a great deal of influence and many follow your lead. I hope you will visit targetfast.org and walk alongside us. “
The mother of three, born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, also identifies as an Afro-Latina. With this in mind, Bryant also noted how the Latino community supports their movement. Cardi’s three children also have Black ancestry through their father, former Migos rapper Offset.
He concluded, “I’m fully aware that you identify as Latino and that you have children that represent both communities and to that end you should know the movement has support as well as buy in from the Latino community and more specifically workers. Your presence [could] be apart of the most effective boycott in 70 years since the Montgomery bus boycott! In the words of Martin Luther King, “a person who doesn’t stand for something will fall for anything…”
While Cardi has yet to respond, the entertainer has been vocal about political issues in the past. She also endorsed Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, but has yet to directly address the current anti-DEI movement within the country.
