Target re-ups racial justice commitment

Dive Brief

Target restated its commitment to diversity and inclusion Tuesday, outlining the brand's goal of "creating welcoming and inclusive places to work, shop and belong." This follow-up is two-fold: not only does it trail Target Forward, a racial justice initiative launched June 22, but it also highlights findings from Target's September 2020 workforce diversity report.
The statement underscores wins, such as "strides toward [Target's] commitments to increase Black representation across the company by 20% by 2023." It also highlights gender diversity: 58% of Target's team members are women and 50% of its leadership team are women.
"We're working toward ambitious goals, but we know they're achievable with support from our leaders and teams who recognize how important this work is in creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive team," Kiera Fernandez, Target's CDIO and SVP of Talent and Change, said in the July statement. "By working together, we'll continue to make Target a place where all team members can thrive."

Dive Insight

A deeper look shows that racial equity is, to use Fernandez's words, an ambitious goal.

For example, the statement touts the fact that 50% of Target's team members are people of color, with people of color comprising 25% of its leadership. The workforce diversity data, taken from the end of fiscal year 2020, shows that 59% of Target managers are White. Meanwhile, 21% of Target managers are Hispanic/Latino, 12% are Black/African-American, 4% are Asian and less than 1% are American Indian/Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, respectively.

Similarly, 68% of Target officers are White, while 32% are people of color; 54% of Target's board members are White and 46% are people of color; 75% of Target's leadership is White, while 24% are people of color.

As listed on its site, Target's diversity and inclusion goals include improved advancement for its team members of color. The retailer is also looking to reduce turnover for people of color. Along with a sustainability-minded rebrand, Target's 2021 Forward initiative pledged a 20% increase in Black team member representation by 2023.

"It's always been important to us that we build and develop a diverse Target team that reflects our guests and the communities we serve," Fernandez said in the July 27 statement. "Part of that commitment is setting data-driven goals and transparently holding ourselves accountable every day for making progress across the organization."