Twin Cities-based Target Corporation is being singled out by the American Federation of Teachers.
After months of trying to persuade the retail chain to publicly denounce Operation Metro Surge, the federal government's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, the American Federation of Teachers, along with the AFL-CIO, launched a back-to-school boycott.
AFT President Cindi Weingarten talked to WCCO Radio's Adam and Jordana on Tuesday.
"In January and in March, we wrote to Target, to the new CEO, what we said was that corporations around the country have to stand up for their neighbors and their citizens," says Weingarten.
While some have said that Target has shown considerable support for teachers through donations of money and books, Weingarten claims words would have been more powerful in this case.
She also says their months-long attempt is simply to get Target to stand up for the community they help represent.
"This was something that has been long simmering, and all Target had to do was to say we stand with our neighbors and not with ICE," Weingarten explains. "And they wouldn't do it. And so we said that in back-to-school, we're going to stand locally and we're going to shop other places."
Weingarten says this is not a political statement, but about humanity.
"All Target had to do was to say we stand with our neighbors and not with ICE, and they wouldn't do it"
"All Target had to do was to say we stand with our neighbors and not with ICE, and they wouldn't do it"
