• The daughters of one of Target's cofounders say they are "alarmed" at the company's DEI rollback.
• In letters to the Financial Times and LA Times, they said their father believed in clear principles.
• Target is one of several companies scaling back diversity efforts amid wider political pressures against DEI.

The daughters of one of Target's cofounders say they are "shocked and dismayed" at the company's recent DEI rollback.

In letters to the editor published in the Financial Times and the LA Times, Anne and Lucy Dayton said their father, Bruce Dayton, believed in clear principles of happy customers and strong communities.

"We are alarmed how quickly the business community has given in to the current administration's retaliatory threats," they wrote. "It is not 'illegal' for a company to create a business model based on what it believes to be important ethical and business standards."

Bruce Dayton was one of five brothers who grew their father's Minneapolis department store into a national brand, as well as the B. Dalton chain of bookstores. The cofounder died in 2015 at the age of 97.

Neither the sisters nor Target immediately responded to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Target is one of several companies scaling back diversity efforts amid wider political scrutiny of DEI programs following the reelection of President Donald Trump.

CEO Brian Cornell said in 2023 that DEI was "the right thing for society, and it's the great thing for our brand."

Days later, the company began pulling LGBTQ+ pride merchandise after conservative activists mounted a campaign against the celebration.

More recently, a proposed class-action shareholder lawsuit was filed by the City of Riviera Beach Police Pension Fund against Target alleging the company had made "false and misleading" statements about its DEI strategy's impact on its financial results.

While some companies have announced their moves more publicly, others have been comparatively discreet about removing references to DEI from their official communications.

Some companies, including Deloitte and Google, have said that as federal contractors, they are required to follow Trump's recent executive order to end DEI programs at federal agencies more closely.

"By cowering, Target and others are undermining the very principles that have made their companies a success," the Dayton sisters said.