Entrepreneur and graphic designer Danielle Coke Balfour is pulling her products from Target shelves.
grew from designs Balfour started creating in February 2020 for Black History Month, according to her website. By that summer the illustrated infographics had found a larger audience for its digestible advocacy ideas around racism and equity
Over the years, Balfour has been able to land countless collaborations with brands such as Coach, Old Navy, Adobe, Home Depot, TOMS, and more. She had also scored a partnership with Target but has recently decided to take a step away from the major retailer after it pulled back from its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. As CNBC notes, Target put an end to sharing reports to DEI groups and a program that helped Black and minority businesses find shelf space in stores.
“All products pictured are retired at this time except the Good Work Journal. My licensing agreement was with a vendor, not Target directly. Target has described their changes as ‘concluding’ specific DEI initiatives, which I’ve expressed my personal disappointment with. I stand by my message about the importance of supporting Black-owned brands and businesses!”
Many customers flooded to her comments section in support of her decision and vowed to direct their dollars towards the business in ways beyond major retail.
“Standing on business!! I know it had to be incredibly difficult to decide and it’s not fair that you even had to be in this position. Proud of you and we will make sure you’re supported,” Illustrator Andrea Ballo wrote under a follow-up post shared by Balfour.
In an update, Balfour revealed traction on her online storefront has been profound, with many products selling out. She also shared her intent to remove her remaining journal products from Target shelves and instead create her own journals. They will be available on her website soon.
“Let’s get back to the good work we’re called to. I’m actually so excited to start the process of making my own journals. There’s a first time for everything,” she wrote on Instagram. “The support online for my shop has been so unbelievable over the weekend!! We’re restocking your favorites as soon as we can. You can visit at the link in my bio! I can’t thank y’all enough.”
Though Balfour is removing her products from Target shelves, she still encourages people to support Black-owned brands that are making and shipping their own products to stores.
“…The upfront costs can be substantial, and a lack of support from customers could be detrimental,” she shared on Instagram.