Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler: A Living Legend Receives His Flowers

December 3, 2025

The article honors Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler, a legendary D.C. activist and former pastor, who helped launch and sustain a Target boycott protesting corporations' rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives following Donald Trump's return to office. Despite declining health, Hagler consistently appeared at weekly protests outside the Columbia Heights Target store that began in April on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.

Who is affected

Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler (activist whose declining health prevented continued participation)
Organizer Dante O'Hara and the Claudia Jones School for Political Education
Tamika Mallory and Rev. Jamal Bryant (protest participants)
D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4)
Target shoppers at the Columbia Heights DC USA Shopping Center
Rev. Wanda Thompson, Rev. Patricia Fears, Rev. Kenneth King, and other clergy members
Marginalized communities in D.C., including Black residents, low-income populations, and returning citizens
Palestinian people (through Hagler's international advocacy work)
Members of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ
Various community organizations including Empower DC, Poor People's Campaign, and Black Homeownership Strike Task Force

What action is being taken

The D.C.-based Target boycott group is conducting protests and maintaining a consistent presence outside the Target store at DC USA Shopping Center in Columbia Heights
Organizers are talking directly to shoppers, urging them not to patronize Target
The boycott group has expanded similar resistance activities to Minneapolis
Organizers are working to raise political consciousness in the community about alternative spending options
Rev. Hagler continues to direct Faith Strategies LLC, which connects faith leaders to social justice movements

Why it matters

This matters because it demonstrates how sustained grassroots organizing can mobilize communities to exercise economic power in response to corporate decisions that undermine diversity and equity initiatives. Hagler's five decades of activism illustrate the importance of connecting local struggles for affordable housing, living wages, and criminal justice reform to broader national and international human rights issues, including Palestinian liberation. His approach of bridging theological scholarship with practical community action has created a model for faith-based organizing that holds corporations and political leaders accountable while advocating for society's most vulnerable populations. The ongoing Target boycott represents a continuation of civil rights-era nonviolent resistance tactics adapted for contemporary struggles against policies that harm marginalized communities.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer