Rep. Bobby Scott and Speaker Don Scott Bring Dems Together in Newport News; Black Caucus: Target Sit Down Was "Candid"

Jun 29, 2025

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Democrats Gather in Newport News

NEWPORT NEWS, VA - Peninsula Democrats, led by Rep. Bobby Scott and Speaker Don Scott, gathered for breakfast in Newport News ten days after primary day in Virginia. Delegate Jeion Ward was also in attendance. Now that the table is set for Republicans and Democrats the real campaigning is starting. The GOP in Virginia has a unity rally set for Tuesday, July 1 in Vienna, Virginia. Network NoVA held their annual Women’s Summit in Tysons Virginia this weekend.

As congressional Republicans prepared to make significant cuts in health care, food stamps and veterans services, Democrats in Virginia have a gubernatorial election in front of them in 128. The reminder of how President Trump is involved in so many issues hit home again three days ago after the unexpected announcement that University of Virginia President Jim Ryan will leave his position after being pressured by the Trump Administration.

All photos 📸 by Paulette Singleton

Above: Rep. Bobby Scott and Virginia House Speaker Don Scott on June 28.

Above: Newly elected Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Jones and Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan with the Scotts.

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$50 Million Peninsula Cooperative Fund

In Hampton on June 20 the an effort to “expand access to capital and drive economic opportunity for businesses” in Virginia was announced. The Peninsula Cooperative Fund (PCF), a $50 million loan fund aimed at supporting small businesses in underserved areas of Hampton and Newport News, was announced.

Hampton Mayor Jimmy Gray, U.S. Senator Mark Warner and Rep. Bobby Scott spoke at the announcement, which was also covered by WAVY-TV (below).

On June 26 Black Virginia News broke the news that Target CEO Brian Cornell was on Capitol Hill meeting with Black members of Congress. Below is the readout of the meeting as released by the Congressional Black Caucus.

Readout of Congressional Black Caucus Meeting with Target Corporation

CAPITOL HILL, WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, June 26, 2025, Chairwoman Yvette D. Clarke and members of the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce met with Target Corporation Chair and CEO Brian Cornell to address the company’s reversal on its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The meeting comes amid growing public scrutiny and mounting consumer boycotts of Target, driven by outrage over the company’s rollback of its diversity policies—with particular focus on its commitments to support Black-owned businesses.

In the candid and direct conversation, members of the Congressional Black Caucus repeatedly pressed Target’s leadership for clear answers on the consequences of the company’s decision to scale back its diversity initiatives. The CBC directly questioned the Target leadership on the demands of the “Target Fast,”—a national campaign led by a broad coalition of activists urging consumers to redirect their resources to companies that uphold our values.

Below: Target CEO Brian Cornell talks with his team before meeting with four members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)

📸 Above photos by Lauren Victoria Burke
📹 Video below: Cornell answers a few questions after the meeting with CBC members on June 26.

In addition to highlighting the significant financial toll Target has already taken due to its failure to uphold its commitments to diversity, the Caucus warned that efforts to restore consumer and public trust without genuine action and accountability would risk inflicting lasting damage to the company’s brand and credibility.

In addition to demands made by the “Target Fast” coalition, the CBC urged the Target leadership to immediately take the following steps, and awaits their timely response and action:

In a public forum, recommit the company to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion
Reinstate Target’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that were eliminated or rolled back
Update the CBC on the status of the financial investments and other policies that were pledged publicly
Disclose the makeup of Targets workforce diversity, business supplier diversity, and community investment.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke offered the following quote:

“The Congressional Black Caucus met with the leadership of the Target Corporation on Capitol Hill to directly address deep concerns about the impact of the company’s unconscionable decision to end a number of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted. Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and to the Target Corporation’s bottom line. Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly.”

CBC Members in attendance:

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
Rep. Troy A. Carter, Sr., CBC First Vice Chair
Rep. Steven Horsford, CBC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce
Rep. Bobby Scott, CBC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce

Members of the Target Corporation in attendance:

Brian Cornell, Chair and CEO
Kiera Fernandez, Executive Vice President and Chief Community and Stakeholder Engagement Officer
Isaac Reyes, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
Chanell Autrey, Director, Government Affairs

Background

On September 9, 2024, the Congressional Black Caucus, under the chairmanship of Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04), released its corporate accountability report, “What Good Looks Like: A Corporate Accountability Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” This first-of-its-kind report holds Fortune 500 companies across all industries accountable for their diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments, as well as their investments in racial equity in the critical years following the murder of George Floyd.

The report found that the majority of Fortune 500 companies that responded to a survey by the CBC remain committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace despite right wing attacks in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action in the landmark Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard in June 2023.

The report outlined 12 Best Practices and innovative approaches (or “What Good Looks Like”), taken by companies across various industries to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their workplaces and beyond, which the CBC hopes corporations will use as a standardized tool to strengthen, magnify, and expand diversity, equity, and inclusion practices across industries.

Since the release of the report, a number of corporations have taken several steps in the opposite direction under the pressure and public attacks of conservative activists.

VIRGINIA’S BATTLEGROUND HOUSE of DELEGATES SEATS! 🎙️ NEW PODCAST EP53 🎙️ LISTEN! Fergie Reid, Jr. and Lauren Burke discuss Virginia’s Battleground races for 2025!