A letter from Cephas Williams Jr., group vice president, Target:
I joined Target in 2009 because I wanted to grow my career at a company that was heavily invested in the community. When I became responsible for the stores in the Minneapolis area in January of 2020, I found a real point of pride at the Lake Street store. We’ve operated there for more than 40 years and have become a part of the community, with many of our team members living within walking distance of the store.
When George Floyd was murdered nearby, I felt the same anger, despair and exhaustion that I know many of our Black team members and guests across the country also felt. As demonstrations for racial justice followed, I’ll admit I struggled to ground myself in Target’s purpose, especially as a Black man who knows the challenges people of color face in this country every day. How do you bring joy to all families in a community that has not only long struggled with economic and racial disparities, but now has been torn apart? In the midst of more injustice, pain and suffering, how do you inspire and bring hope?