Target Scammed Black Vendors and We Have Receipts

Target Scammed Black Vendors and We Have Receipts

Author: iHeartPodcasts July 15, 2025 Duration: 56:48

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 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


You might have heard the old, tired joke that gives There Are No Girls on the Internet its name, but host Bridget Todd isn't laughing. Instead, she's building a vital archive, one conversation at a time. This iHeartPodcasts production digs into the real, human stories of how marginalized voices-far from being newcomers-have actually been the essential architects of our digital world from day one. Each episode moves beyond the headlines to chronicle the personal experiences, subcultures, and quiet revolutions that happen online, giving texture to the platforms and trends we often take for granted. You'll hear from the people whose creativity, labor, and community have fundamentally shaped technology, culture, and society, even when their contributions were overlooked or outright stolen. This isn't just a history lesson; it's an active reclamation. The podcast serves as an ongoing monument to the countless identities that make the internet a dynamic, messy, and profoundly human space. Tune in for narratives that are insightful, often surprising, and absolutely necessary for understanding where we've been and where we're headed next in our connected lives.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

There Are No Girls on the Internet
Podcast Episodes
Epstein files firestorm shows the power of online conspiracy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:16
The Epstein story won’t die and in MAGA circles, it’s becoming a problem. This episode breaks down why the conspiracy has such staying power, who’s running with it now, and what it reveals about the fractures inside the…
Candace Owens Wants You to Think She’s Changed. She Hasn’t. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:19
What is behind Candace Owens’ rebrand? Bridget explains Owens’ new playbook to Anney and Sam over at the podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You. If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at hell…
#SkinnyTok Was Banned from TikTok. So Why Is It Still Everywhere? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:09
Welcome to #SkinnyTok — a corner of TikTok where extreme thinness is framed as “discipline,” wellness becomes control, and disordered eating is dressed up as aesthetic. Even though TikTok banned the hashtag and popular c…
TikTok Minstrel Shows Are Mocking Black Women Using Digital Blackface [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:03
Have you seen this wave of racist over the top AI generated videos featuring Black women on TikTok? Since the release of Google’s VEO3 AI video generation platform in May, which allows users to create realistic videos fr…