On Jan. 24, Target Corp. announced it would end its Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Initiatives (DEI) following President Donald Trump’s executive orders. This has sparked many to boycott the store but for many people like Hamline students, it is not as easy to boycott the company.

In the wake of Trump’s executive orders to end federal DEI programs, many companies have decided to roll back their DEI policies and initiatives. According to an AP Article Target has joined Walmart, Amazon and more in this decision. While this opinion article is focused on Target specifically, it is important to highlight other companies that also have rolled back their policies as well.

Like many Pipers, I also shop at Target. It has always been the closest store no matter where I was living. It also made shopping easier because I did not have to run to multiple stores when I could just buy it all there at Target. Which is one of the appeals for many, especially college students. Given our university’s location, there are two different Target stores that Hamline students can shop from, The Hamline-Midway and Roseville Target. There is another Target in the Highland neighborhood for students on the other side of University Ave.

Both Target locations are easily accessible through various modes of transportation, whether that be public transit, car or walking if weather permits. However with Target making changes to their “Belonging at Bullseye” many have begun to boycott the store entirely. However, for Hamline students and the Hamline-Midway community, this may prove to be more difficult.

As I have said before, Target is close not only to the campus but to the neighborhood community as well. Many shop there because they can get everything they need in one shopping trip without having to travel to two or three stores. Along with that Target Circle, the company's free loyalty program that offers discounts, personalized deals and rewards made shopping a little easier for those on a budget or are college students.

Although many of us would like to boycott the company, a lot of us can not easily do this for many reasons. For example, I drive to and from campus, I can easily drive from campus to another store like Costco with no trouble. However, not everyone commutes via car. Some take public transportation or walk if they live closer to campus, this means the trip could take longer or they might not have a way to get there without having to do multiple transfers.

However, as we all know our actions eventually have consequences both positive and negative. For example, according to an MPR News article Target was removed from Twin Cites Pride after being a partner for 18 years after they decided to drop their DEI efforts.

“The community is just very disappointed that someone like Target, who has been a staple in our corner for so many years, has made this decision and not made the decision to stand up against those who are fighting against us,” Twin Cities Pride executive director Andi Otto said.

Now while we are only part of Target’s consumer base, there is still a lot we can do even if we can not fully distance ourselves from the store entirely. One thing we can do is be aware of what companies are keeping their DEI policies. For example, companies like Costco, Apple and Ben & Jerry’s have stood firm in their support for DEI. While this may seem like it does nothing, I would like to argue that it does. Before writing this article I only knew about Target dropping their DEI efforts but now after researching I know more companies were doing the same but they were not put in the spotlight like Target is currently.

Another thing we can do is limit how often we spend at Target, now while it is not fully boycotting the company it does impact their sales revenue. This way those who have to shop at Target out of necessity can still leave an impact. Adding to this, there are a few resources to help with lowering how often you spend at Target, on campus we do have the free store and the Food Resource Center (FRC). Even if you only stop at these resources a few times instead of Target, it could make a small difference.

And while these are just suggestions, one of the big things I hope anyone who reads this takes away is that, during these tumultuous times being aware of what’s going on is going to be a double-edged sword: with both positives and negatives. But now more than ever knowledge and awareness are going to help us, whether that is with whatever tomorrow brings or even a month from now.