By Andrea Stevens
AFRO Staff Writer
astevens@afro.com
Civil rights advocacy is taking a digital turn as the Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant spearheads an electronic protest of Dollar General. The protest, launched in late summer, targets what Bryant describes as systemic exploitation of Black workers and communities by one of the nation’s largest retailers.
Dollar General has yet to release a public statement in response to or in acknowledgement of the protest or the statement Bryant has made regarding the campaign.
“Dollar General is twice as large as Walmart and Target combined,” Bryant said. “They’ve doubled their stores, especially in rural and impoverished areas, and yet nobody’s paying attention.”
Bryant is senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga. The civil rights leader said the boycott of Target has dominated public discourse, but Dollar General has escaped similar scrutiny– until now.
“We had to take a different approach,” said Bryant. “In many regards, it [Dollar General] amplifies the food deserts in our community, [but] it’s the only option. I dare not, out of compassion, tell our people to starve to death.”
Instead of encouraging a physical boycott, Bryant is urging supporters to engage in what he calls an electronic protest –flooding the company with emails, phone calls and social media posts demanding accountability.
“We have to figure out a food co-op in our community so that people get access to fresh vegetation,” he said. “Something is wrong if it is more affordable for me to get a hamburger than it is for me to get a salad.”
Bryant said the issue goes beyond retail policy.
“It’s not just because of gun violence or the Klan,” he said. “It’s because of health and nutrition. And health and nutrition is a civil rights issue. We have to speak to it.”
He said the campaign’s rural focus is intentional.
“When you think of Georgia, you immediately think of Atlanta,” he said. “You don’t think of Warner Robins, Columbus, Tifton. A lot of those rural communities are deserving of our attention and our affection at the same time.”
Speaking on economic injustice and the resilience of the Black community, Bryant pointed to a history of loyalty despite systemic neglect.
“Black people are the most forgiving people on the planet,” he said. “We overwhelmingly still pledge allegiance, still register to vote, still pay taxes and have never received reparations. Our patriotism is never called into question.”
Bryant said it’s time for the Black Church to lead on issues of economic inequality.
“Preachers have lost their prophetic voice,” he said. “Eighty-seven percent of Black people don’t own a single share of stock, and yet when they come to church, the only investment they hear about is tithing.”
Bryant acknowledged that speaking out against powerful corporations comes with personal risks. His advocacy, he said, has led to threats and security concerns that affect not just him, but his family.
“I’ve had to change my phone number,” he said. “I’ve talked to my daughters’ colleges to make sure they’re safe. These are real issues.”
Despite the challenges and personal toll, Bryant said he has no intention of backing down. For him, the work is not optional. It is a calling.
“This is not a hobby,” Bryant said. “This is what I was called and born to do.”