In honor of Black history month, Target is celebrating Black culture by including an exclusive collection made by the Black community and for the Black community. Their Black history month collection includes hundreds of items from apparel to houseware.
IU freshman Constance Cooper was surprised Target had a collection for Black History Month. Cooper enjoys shopping there because they have a better selection of Black hair products, and she even decided to purchase a few things from the collection.
“I think what Target has done to be inclusive is a good thing, but I wonder if this would be something permanent or just a trend,” Cooper said.
But Target isn’t stopping at Black history month. The company set a goal to invest more than $2 billion into Black-owned businesses by 2025, as a part of their Black Beyond Measure campaign, which is in its sixth year.
Target’s platform is focused on celebrating Black life every day of the year as part of their ongoing commitment to support and uplift the Black community.
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“We have a rich history of working with diverse businesses, but there’s more we can do to spark change across the retail industry, support the Black community and ensure Black guests feel welcomed and represented when they shop at Target,” Target Executive Vice President Christina Hennington said in a press release.
In honor of Target’s Racial Equity Action and Change committee, they’ve announced a scholarship program that will help support students at more than twelve Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Target Scholars Program will provide 1,000 first-year Black students with scholarships, mentoring, internships, and networking opportunities to further their college careers.
Along with this program, students who are interested in design can compete in the HBCU design challenge.
This year’s collection features three Black designers from HBCUs. College students from HBCUs across the U.S. competed for the chance to have their designs appear on merchandise sold in Target stores.
Students from Hampton University, Florida A&M University and Bowie University were selected as winners this year. Their designs are showcased in over 1,000 Target stores.
Target’s initiative to include Black brands, not just for the sake of Black History Month but to stay beyond February will hopefully inspire other stores to do the same, which will give Black-owned businesses and designers a chance to be known.
So the next time you take a trip to Target, stop by their Black Beyond Measure collection or be on the lookout for the stickers they have added to Black brands to indicate they’re Black-owned.
