CONYERS, Ga. — Many people gathered to pray and honor George Floyd’s memory and press for racial justice.
Churches across the country staged prayer rallies outside Target stores. They’re boycotting the retail chain for ending its diversity initiatives.
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About 200 people came together on the edge of a Target parking lot in Conyers. They’re not here to noisily protest and picket, but to wield the power of prayer.
All crowded together, they thrust their fists in the air and bowed their heads as words of prayer emanated from the middle of the flock.
The state president of Georgia’s NAACP, Gerald Grigg, had this petition: that diversity, equity, and inclusion be celebrated as a strength.
“It should not be a political toy that is bantered about as if it’s a bogeyman. I‘m hopeful because I know the true nature of America,” Grigg told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims.
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The pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Jamal Bryant, organized the prayer rallies in Target store parking lots.
They prayed for at least 9 minutes 29 seconds, the length of time, Ofc. Derek Chauvin pressed his knee to George Floyd’s neck.
Rev. Bryant also launched the boycott of Target after the retailer rolled back major diversity, equity, and inclusion programs the company started after George Floyd’s death.
Target announced an end to its DEI goals just days after President Trump took office.
“Go back to your word and your commitment to our community,” Mims said.
For this solemn anniversary, Bryant summoned 56 churches across the nation to send their people to the Target to pray.
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“I think that it is a spiritual engagement. It is righteous indignation. We’re not going with any picket signs or any banners. We’re going with the power of prayer because that is our weapon of choice,” Bryant said.
The boycott appears to have some bite.
Target’s first quarter earnings report shows net sales and foot traffic were down, and its stock price has tumbled.
For those who gathered in Conyers, this moment of prayer has an impact, too.
“It also refocused people that social justice continues. It did not stop in Minneapolis or even with the other incidents that occurred around the country,” Bryant said.
The service didn’t last long. After praying, the crowd would disperse – a peaceful show of solidarity.
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