View this email online IN THE NEWS Back in February, I kept seeing a flier all over social media, advising people of an economic boycott. The boycott was in response to the Trump administration's mandates to roll back DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion). But it seemed a little haphazard. No one really knew if there was a strategy or an actual end goal. Unprovoked, the CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, made his own declaration of his intention to rollback DEI measures within his company. That caught the ire of many customers and became the impetus for a catchier and more targeted plan. Dr. Jamal Bryant, a pastor outside Atlanta, Georgia, encouraged his congregation and other Black consumers to commit to a 40-day Target ‘fast’ through all of Lent (March 5-April 17). Dr. Bryant doubled his goal and got 200,000 people pledging to boycott the chainstore. And while there were some doubts that this initiative would even have legs but as of this writing Target is in its 11th week of low foot traffic.  Last week Target CEO Cornell met with the famed Rev. Al Sharpton about the boycott, leaving some to wonder if Target even understood the boycott at all. Sharpton has called for other boycotts, but wasn’t involved in the creation of the “40-Day Target Fast.” In fact, Bryant reiterated this week that the Fast campaign is now calling for a “full Target boycott,” until Target agrees to meet its four demands. The question is: Do boycotts like this actually work? Bryant frequently uses the Montgomery Bus Boycott as a benchmark, a strategy that Code Switch has covered. But that boycott lasted over a year. In the current age of non-ethical consumption, a year could feel like a decade.  Kerem Yücel/MPR News There have been other attempts at hitting companies in their wallets that have been less successful. There was the full-fledged boycott of McDonald’s after some of its Israeli franchises gave free food to IDF soldiers in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks in 2023. After that protest hurt McDonald’s profits, the company decided to buy back all of its 225 Israeli franchises, which was not exactly the aim of the boycott. And frequent protests over Starbucks pay and worker conditions have only resulted in a return to an unwanted barista dress code change and handwritten notes on your venti latte.   So where can we look for examples of current protests that seem to be going the distance? One example this week is Elon Musk’s announcement that he’ll be taking a step back from his work with DOGE because his company Tesla’s automotive revenue has dropped 71% in this year’s Q1. So maybe these boycotts do have people running scared.    Newsletter continues after sponsor message ON THE POD Photographer/Source This week on the podcast, a conversation with writer and cultural critic, Viet Thanh Nguyen. When Nguyen first came to the U.S. at 4-years-old, he was a refugee from Vietnam, and he remembers the moment he understood he was Asian-American. In his latest book, To Save and To Destroy: Writing as an Other, Nguyen examines the power in finding solidarity with other Others, especially in today's America. Listen Here WHAT'S KEEPING YOU UP? This week, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the launching of a national autism registry. Kennedy’s promise to “cure” the cause of autism by September, and using language that has startled many people on the spectrum and researchers alike shows a lack of nuance and care. Especially as the understanding of and language around those on the spectrum has taken decades to improve, only for Kennedy to spew a lot of falsehoods that demeans that progress.  Written by B.A. Parker and edited by Courtney Stein Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. Subscribe to Code Switch+. Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free episodes. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: codeswitch@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Code Switch emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy