Whether it’s God, your ancestors, or the universe, they say you shouldn’t ask for what’s not serving you to be removed unless you’re ready for the fallout.
Tabitha Brown learned this firsthand when she prayed for clarity about her relationship with Target—just before the brand announced it was rolling back its DEI initiatives.
During a recent appearance on Kevin Fredericks’s podcast, “Not My Best Moment w/ KevOnStage,” the 46-year-old internet personality and entrepreneur addressed the backlash she has faced over her comments about the ongoing boycott and the toll it has taken. She also revealed that before the controversy erupted in January, she’d already been in prayer about her future with the retailer.
“In January, the New Year, the first week I always fast, and my prayer was ‘God reveal to me if I’m supposed to continue on this partnership.’ Baby, I didn’t know he was gonna reveal it like that,” she said with a laugh. “I said, Lord, wait a bit.”
In early January, Target announced it would be rolling back DEI efforts—part of a broader pullback that has been echoed across multiple industries and government entities under the Trump Administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Brown, who has several product lines with Target across the beauty aisle and food section—a legacy she said she remains deeply proud of—released a video as demands to boycott kicked off, urging people not to boycott the retailer, emphasizing the many Black-owned brands that would be harmed in the crossfire.
While speaking to Fredericks, the Donna’s Recipe hair care founder said the backlash reached such an intense level that she began receiving threats and even alarming in-person confrontations, forcing her to increase her security.
“It was just hurtful that people would go to that extreme,” she expressed.
She added, “I’m not the enemy. I’m for the people I just happen to be in business with at this time, the enemy … It was just that’s the part I think that hurt me the most, because even through it all, I still love my people. I still love my people and my hope is that, you know, we all can learn more.”
Brown didn’t just address the situation once. After posting her first video, she followed up with another as the backlash grew, and has continued speaking on the issue. When asked if she regretted going beyond that initial message, she admitted, “I think about that all the time.”
However, she continued, “I would be a hypocrite if I had never said anything, knowing all the people in the small businesses who were asking for help and calling.”
“I just felt responsible to speak up for the other businesses,” she added. “I don’t regret it, because I also learned a valuable lesson in it, but I mean, there are days I’m like, I should have just let people run with their imagination.”
