New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest hosted a marketplace to support Black entrepreneurs amid cutbacks to corporate DEI programs and Juneteenth events.
STONECREST, Ga. — As some major corporations roll back support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts—and cut funding for Juneteenth events—a metro Atlanta church is stepping up to help local Black-owned businesses thrive.
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest hosted a special marketplace inside its sanctuary this weekend, transforming its space into a pop-up mini mall for Black entrepreneurs.
“It’s very important because what happens is, it allows our customers to come and shop in a variety as well as to help keep people employed,” said Renee Alexander, owner of Mrs. Renee Natural Skin Care.
The event comes as public pressure builds over companies scaling back their DEI programs. Columbia University research shows that companies that consistently support DEI are more trusted by people of color than those that don’t.
New Birth’s pastor, Dr. Jamal Bryant, has not been shy about criticizing corporations. Earlier this year, he publicly called for a boycott of Target.
“With all that we have diverted away from Target, [people] have lined up to give all that money to Costco,” Bryant said during the event.
According to a recent study done by Columbia University, corporations that back diversity, equity, and inclusion financially are often better perceived by people of color than those with inconsistent messages.
An Associated Press article recently quoted Dionne Nickerson, an assistant marketing professor at Emory University, who said that backlash from conservatives and tighter budgets have led many companies to quietly pull back DEI investments.
Asked directly about that claim, Bryant responded, “I would say to them, check the track record of Target. Since we’ve been boycotting, they lost a $12 billion evaluation. Their stock has plummeted from 145 to 93. The CEO’s salary has been slashed by 42%, so there is an impact.”
One business owner, Jawwaad Saleem, says the shift in spending habits is benefiting his company, Champs Number One Underwear.
“African Americans have shifted to finding black owned products as opposed to going to stores, specifically stores that have removed DEI, and they have been coming to us. Sales have increased in the last couple months.”
11Alive reached out to Target for comment on the boycott and Bryant’s claims. As of Saturday, the company has not responded.
