In 2020, Target pledged to support Black creators and communities. Target spotlighted their products, and made headlines with its public commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. But now, those promises look like little more than PR spin.

Black creators and vendors who once collaborated with the brand say they weren’t just abandoned — they were exploited. From one-sided partnerships to pay-to-play marketing schemes,  this episode investigates how a major corporation cashed in on the racial justice movement… and then just walked away.

We speak to Kiara Imani, a former Target vendor who is one of the Black entrepreneurs  now speaking out. She was originally thrilled when a game she designed, "LikeU Cards," was included in Target's collection, only to quickly realize she was caught up in a pay-to-play scheme that was more about Target's PR than actually selling her product. 

She's also an attorney and author of the book Therapy Isn’t Just For White People. She explains what went down, what she was promised versus what she actually got, and unpacks the backlash, the boycott, and why some former Target collaborators are now calling it what it really was all along: a scam.

Kiara’s TikTok about Target: https://www.tiktok.com/@kiara_imani_will/video/7481347076442606894

Buy Kiara book Therapy Isn’t Just For White People: https://www.mahoganybooks.com/9781735145884

Check out LikeU cards: https://likeucards.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqCZCnuFV-4u8l9PynC9x1nNFbC0DCrVv0_IYqoRsPTvnt-FEX5

If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at hello@tangoti.com!

Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.

instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ 

tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc 

youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet 

In 2020, Target pledged to support Black creators and communities. Target spotlighted their products, and made headlines with its public commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. But now, those promises look like little more than PR spin.
Black creators and vendors who once collaborated with the brand say they weren&rsquo;t just abandoned &mdash; they were exploited. From one-sided partnerships to pay-to-play marketing schemes,&nbsp; this episode investigates how a major corporation cashed in on the racial justice movement&hellip; and then just walked away.
We speak to Kiara Imani, a former Target vendor who is one of the Black entrepreneurs&nbsp; now speaking out. She was originally thrilled when a game she designed, "LikeU Cards," was included in Target's collection, only to quickly realize she was caught up in a pay-to-play scheme that was more about Target's PR than actually selling her product.&nbsp;
She's also an attorney and author of the book Therapy Isn&rsquo;t Just For White People. She explains what went down, what she was promised versus what she actually got, and unpacks the backlash, the boycott, and why some former Target collaborators are now calling it what it really was all along: a scam.
Kiara&rsquo;s TikTok about Target:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kiara_imani_will/video/7481347076442606894">https://www.tiktok.com/@kiara_imani_will/video/7481347076442606894</a>
Buy Kiara book Therapy Isn&rsquo;t Just For White People:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mahoganybooks.com/9781735145884">https://www.mahoganybooks.com/9781735145884</a>
Check out LikeU cards:&nbsp;<a href="https://likeucards.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqCZCnuFV-4u8l9PynC9x1nNFbC0DCrVv0_IYqoRsPTvnt-FEX5">https://likeucards.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqCZCnuFV-4u8l9PynC9x1nNFbC0DCrVv0_IYqoRsPTvnt-FEX5</a>
If you&rsquo;re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at <a href="mailto:hello@tangoti.com">hello@tangoti.com</a>!
Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.
<a href="instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/">instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ </a>
<a href="tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc">tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc </a>
<a href="youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet">youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet&nbsp;</a>

Marginalized voices have always been at the forefront of the internet, yet our stories often go overlooked. Bridget Todd chronicles our experiences online, and the ways marginalized voices have shaped the internet from the very beginning. We need monuments to all of the identities that make being online what it is. So let’s build them.

There Are No Girls on the Internet

Target Scammed Black Vendors and We Have Receipts 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/875ecc6c-5a03-4a39-acdb-b31b0119eff9/transcript

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