This was an important piece, folks. All of these puzzle pieces are things that we can look out for and demand accountability for. Good on ya, Shalise and Contrarian.
As a retired businessman, it's always made perfect sense to me that any business NEEDS awareness of the desires, needs, and opinions of potential customers. An idea as dumb as this costume is yet another reason. The current administration is FORCING businesses and institutions to shoot themselves in the foot!
I have not shopped in target ( a store I really loved ) since their initial rejection of DEI and removal of black owned businessproducts from the stores. My target card is about to be discontinued due to non use.
I’m especially disappointed because the store is located in Minneapolis Minnesota, in the vicinity of where I’m from and they were a very respectable store and well liked for a long time. Then when they capitulated to Trump the black community there and everywhere rightly stayed away. But my friend who lives there and is concerned with justice, told me that the community organizers had met with management and had come away with some concrete promises. So the community representatives at least were on board that the Target boycott would end. And now this. They’ve learned nothing. I’ll be very interested to hear what my friend has to say about this because she follows the subject.
Thank you Ms Young, for your trenchant explication of minstrelsy, and its appalling resurfacing in this case. Your final paragraph is a beautiful definition of exactly what DEI truly is, why it is so desperately needed, and why it is so despised by the sadly reascendent forces of white nationalism.
Remember Target abandoned DEI in favor of kneeling to Trump. Trying to win people back after the boycott. I still am boycotting them, even more angry after this shenanigan. First they eliminate or hide their Pride stuff and then DEI policies (A black person in upper echelons would have spotted this before their fiasco. Shop at home, get your costumes at the thrift stores.
I am shocked and disheartened to learn of this tone-deaf decision by someone in the buying department at a store I used to respect. Who does this? Is someone really that cruel or are they just ignorant? Who did they think would wear such a costume? What child would want to go door to door on Halloween dressed like that?
Target's apology states: “We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners." It is also 'hurtful' to everyone of ANY color, to our society AS A WHOLE, and to your COUNTRY in its time of existential crisis. This advertisement, appearing in 2026, is an OBSCENITY. In my opinion, whoever had a role in approving its publication deserves to be fired.
Weeping. That somebody must have thought this was funny.
A very thoughtful and important editorial comment about something that is so wrong!
Karalee
It’s obvious this was intentional. There’s no way that a modern day model would be instructed to pose like this. It’s sickening.
This was an important piece, folks. All of these puzzle pieces are things that we can look out for and demand accountability for. Good on ya, Shalise and Contrarian.
I will certainly never shop there again. It is the only control I have in this instance.
This is shameful. How low can we go. Vote early! We need to make sweeping changes and this makes our collective voice heard.
As a retired businessman, it's always made perfect sense to me that any business NEEDS awareness of the desires, needs, and opinions of potential customers. An idea as dumb as this costume is yet another reason. The current administration is FORCING businesses and institutions to shoot themselves in the foot!
I have not shopped in target ( a store I really loved ) since their initial rejection of DEI and removal of black owned businessproducts from the stores. My target card is about to be discontinued due to non use.
I’m especially disappointed because the store is located in Minneapolis Minnesota, in the vicinity of where I’m from and they were a very respectable store and well liked for a long time. Then when they capitulated to Trump the black community there and everywhere rightly stayed away. But my friend who lives there and is concerned with justice, told me that the community organizers had met with management and had come away with some concrete promises. So the community representatives at least were on board that the Target boycott would end. And now this. They’ve learned nothing. I’ll be very interested to hear what my friend has to say about this because she follows the subject.
Indirect but simple solution. Don’t shop there. Their stockholders will figure it out eventually.
Shop local. Let’s end these corporations. They aren’t fit to save.
Thank you Ms Young, for your trenchant explication of minstrelsy, and its appalling resurfacing in this case. Your final paragraph is a beautiful definition of exactly what DEI truly is, why it is so desperately needed, and why it is so despised by the sadly reascendent forces of white nationalism.
It's the same thing that happened with that violent golf club ad: when your company only employees white men, it shows in many different ways.
Remember Target abandoned DEI in favor of kneeling to Trump. Trying to win people back after the boycott. I still am boycotting them, even more angry after this shenanigan. First they eliminate or hide their Pride stuff and then DEI policies (A black person in upper echelons would have spotted this before their fiasco. Shop at home, get your costumes at the thrift stores.
I am shocked and disheartened to learn of this tone-deaf decision by someone in the buying department at a store I used to respect. Who does this? Is someone really that cruel or are they just ignorant? Who did they think would wear such a costume? What child would want to go door to door on Halloween dressed like that?
Target's apology states: “We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners." It is also 'hurtful' to everyone of ANY color, to our society AS A WHOLE, and to your COUNTRY in its time of existential crisis. This advertisement, appearing in 2026, is an OBSCENITY. In my opinion, whoever had a role in approving its publication deserves to be fired.