Daughters of Target's late cofounder "alarmed" over company's rollback of DEI efforts
Source: CBS News/AP
Updated on: February 14, 2025 / 5:24 PM EST
The daughters of one of the cofounders of Target are expressing their alarm and shock at the discounter's recent moves to roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that have come under attack from conservative activists and as of last month, the White House.
In letters to the editor published Thursday in The Financial Times and the Los Angeles Times, Anne and Lucy Dayton said their father, Bruce Dayton, along with his four other brothers, expanded the Minneapolis department store into a massive brand that became Target that was built on two principles: a focus on the customer and the well-being of the community. Bruce Dayton died in 2015 at 97.
"We are alarmed how quickly the business community has given in to the current administration's retaliatory threats," the daughters wrote. "It is not 'illegal' for a company to create a business model based on what it believes to be important ethical and business standards." They added that, "By cowering, Target and others are undermining the very principles that have made their companies a success."
Target couldn't be immediately reached for comment. In late January, Target said the changes to its "Belonging at the Bullseye" strategy would include ending a program it established to help Black employees build meaningful careers, improve the experience of Black shoppers and to promote Black-owned businesses following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/target-cofounder-daughters-dei-efforts-concerns/
Link to LETTER TO THE EDITOR - Letters to the Editor: Our father helped create Target. Its rollback of DEI programs is a betrayal
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