PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
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THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934 September 10 - 16, 2026
Vol. 93
No. 6
Phone: 612-827-4021 www.spokesman-recorder.com
By Lizzy Nyoike Contributor
or provided documentation on its pledge, made after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, to spend more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses. Community members interviewed for this story said they’ve continued the boycott by changing where they shop, long after the news cycle around it faded. Norris was raised in Texas by a family involved in the Civil Rights Movement; her father was a civil rights activist, and she grew up hearing relatives discuss the Montgomery bus boycott and remembers them helping with related fundraising. Her mother taught her to avoid businesses that didn’t re-
ineteen months after Minnesota organizers launched the National Target Boycott, the people sustaining it aren’t civil rights leaders standing at a podium. They’re shoppers who quietly rerouted their spending to Costco, farmers markets and familyowned businesses, and have no plans to go back. “I believe that boycotting is a major way of speaking and RDNE Stock project being heard,” said Makeda Norris, who began avoiding to expose. By Izzy Canizares This is the second time the bill was proposed in the Legisla- Target before the boycott ofContributing Writer ture, but Will Cooley of the Minnesota Justice Resource Center ficially started. his year has seen the introduction of more protections (MNJRC) said legislators believed there was not enough funding for Minnesotans held pre-trial, most immediately more this year to support accurate statewide data tracking. “What we learned this year at the Capitol was that it’s a mataccessible healthcare in jails, though its implementation has been delayed. As we look at our current jail system, ter of money. A fiscal note came in, and it’s expensive to set this these bills could mean slow but steady progress in decreasing up, and there wasn’t a lot of money at the Legislature this year. It was a policy year, not a budget year,” Cooley said. “Two years the large disparity of Black inmates within Minnesota jails. in a row, that’s what we found out. Legislators Activist groups like the MN Justice for All were unwilling to fund this.” Coalition and Minnesota Freedom Fund have Despite these setbacks, Jana Kooren, MNJRC lobbied for reforms in both the pretrial and im“What we associate director and PJM Steering Committee migration systems. This past legislative session, member, said the coalition remains committed these groups lobbied for multiple bills that would learned this to continuing the effort to reform the pretrial have given Minnesotans held pre-trial stronger year at the system. rights and put an end to the current prison-labor “This is not the end of anything. In fact, what system. Capitol was that we are aiming for as a broader coalition moving One such bill, the Pre-trial Data Transparency Joshua Brown it’s a matter forward is really a much larger transformation,” Act, received bipartisan support and passed in The boycott’s staying power spect her or her community. Kooren said. “We’re including the collection and the House, but ultimately died in the Senate. The of money.” “What I don’t spend with analysis of pretrial data and integrating it into a was tested again last week, bill (HF 1775/SF 1908) would have established larger scale of reforms we’re pushing for, includ- when Target pulled a children’s you might not hurt you, but I a streamlined data collection process for people ing a bill to replace the harmful practice of cash bail with a sys- Halloween costume that Black am not going to help you,” Norheld in jails around Minnesota. While some counties have updated dashboards showing tem that detains and releases people based on evidence of a shoppers online said evoked ris recalled her mother saying. Norris now shops at more racist blackface and minstreltheir current jail populations, the data varies significantly by ju- person’s circumstances as opposed to wealth.” Alongside the Pre-trial Data Transparency Act, the Inten- show imagery. (For more on the local businesses and farmers risdiction. With the delay of the Pre-trial Data Transparency Act, data on people held in county jails will continue to be harder to tional Release & Detain bill was introduced to shift Minnesota civil rights press conference markets and goes without ■ See PRETRIAL on page 5 held outside Target’s Minneap- some items she once bought track, making racial disparities within the justice system harder olis headquarters over the in- regularly at Target. For her, cident, see www.spokesman- continuing the boycott is recorder.com/2026/09/02/ about standing up for what target-racist-halloween-cos- she believes in. “It’s as much a message to tume-boycott-minneapolis/.) For longtime boycotters, the myself about pride, self-disciepisode wasn’t a surprise so pline and respect,” she said. Jim Lieberthal’s decision much as confirmation of why Hill echoed Spokesman event held Satur- cer at the Minnesota ResponBy Aaliyah Demry they started boycotting in the to boycott Target was shaped day, Sept. 5, at the NorthPoint sible AI Institute, and Chuck that sense of Digital Editor partly by his 35 years at first place. Conference Center in North Hill, president of Program- urgency. A longtime informaAmeriprise FiNekima Levy ming Solutions Incorporated tion technology professional, Armstrong, a rtificial intelligence may Minneapolis. nancial, where “I believe that Presented by Sister Spokes- and chair of the Minnesota Hill said he believes having civil rights atbe changing how peohe learned to more knowledge of AI will be- torney and cople work, learn and cre- man and the Minnesota CHILL CHILL Foundation. pay attention boycotting is a Opening the discussion, come increasingly important as founder of the ate, but Dr. Elizabeth Foundation, the gathering to the differmajor way of M. Adams wants Black com- brought community members Minnesota Spokesman-Record- the technology becomes more National Target ence between munities to think beyond just together to learn more about er CEO and publisher Tracey integrated into everyday life. a company’s Boycott, said speaking and “The more you use it, the the how AI can assist with career Williams-Dillard encouraged responding to the technology. public message incident being heard.” “I would like to see us leap- development, entrepreneurship attendees not to let fear stop more you learn,” Hill said. and its internal could not be During the panel, Hill shared dismissed as a frog and actually shape the fu- and everyday tasks, while also them from learning about the decisions. He ways AI can help with tasks single bad deciture, specifically with how we addressing concerns about pri- growing technology. remembered “Learn AI, because it won’t ranging from meeting summa- sion. vacy, bias, misinformation and engage with AI,” Adams said. when Target offered grants replace you,” Williams-Dillard ries and business documents That idea was at the center its use among young people. “Someone should have and other support to comThe event’s panel featured told attendees. “You’ll replace to job searches and resumes. recognized how unconscio- munity organizations, which of “The AI Era: What to Know In his own business, Hill said nable and racist that costume he believed showed the comand How to Use It,” a Sister Adams, chief engagement offi- yourself if you don’t learn it.” AI has helped him consider op- was, the fact that it slipped pany understood its responsiportunities he might not have through potentially multiple bility to the communities that otherwise looked toward. levels of approval and it took helped it grow. Over time, “It gives me an opportunity to Black women online calling he said he watched some of ask and get an objective look at out the costume for the com- those efforts disappear, and my business, where I can may- pany to actually pull it from Target’s pullback on DEI furbe grow in areas that I never their shelves,” she said. “It re- ther damaged his trust. even thought of,” Hill said. “It’s mostly about how they inforces exactly why there is a But throughout the discus- nationwide Target boycott to behave towards the commusion, the panel received sever- begin with.” nity that has me infuriated,” al questions about the potenThe National Target Boy- Lieberthal said. tial risks of AI and how it could cott was announced in MinLieberthal stopped shopimpact Black communities. neapolis on Jan. 30, 2025, and ping at Target in January 2025. Adams encouraged attend- began Feb. 1, after Target said Since then, he has divided his ees to remain involved in how it would end several diversity, shopping among other retailers, they use the technology and equity and inclusion efforts, in- including Costco, and smaller, how AI systems affect their cluding its Racial Equity Action family-owned businesses, and communities. During the pan- and Change initiative. Organiz- he researches companies’ poliel, she described experiencing ers have said Target has not cies before deciding where to From left to right Darcel Hill, Valeda (Hill) Huff, Chuck Hill, Tracey Williams-Dillard, Dr. Eliza- ■ See SISTER SPOKESMAN restored those commitments spend his money. He believes ■ See TARGET on page 5 on page 5 beth Adams, Cindy Hill Emmanuel Duncan/MSR
Sister Spokesman event asks how Black communities can shape the AI era