In the face of President Donald Trump’s attempts to terminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, Black communities around the country are responding with their wallets.
In January, President Trump signed multiple executive orders targeting DEI, including the “ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunities” order that specifically takes aim at DEI in the private and nonprofit sectors. According to the ACLU, his actions are a deliberate attempt to undo decades of federal anti-discrimination policy and intimidate employers — in federal, local, private and nonprofit sectors — to abandon its DEI initiatives. On Feb. 21, a federal judge temporarily blocked the president from installing DEI bans at federal agencies and businesses that contract with the federal government, citing a likely violation of the First Amendment.
However, some corporations and retailers like Amazon, Target, Google and Disney immediately rolled back any standing DEI goals or practices. From hiring to business partnerships, cuts to diversity commitments have sparked major backlash on- and offline. It’s been reported that foot traffic is down at Target since January when the retailer announced it would scale back its DEI goals and end its initiative to bring in more products from Black and brown businesses.
Now, social media platforms are buzzing with information about a nationwide economic boycott planned for Friday, Feb. 28. The boycott asks consumers not to buy from major retailers, fast food restaurants and gas stations for 24 hours. Participants are advised to only buy from small, local businesses during the protest period.
The initial call to action can be traced to the People’s Union USA, a “grassroots movement dedicated to economic resistance, government accountability, and corporate reform.” Most of the information regarding the boycott derives from founder John Schwarz’ personal Instagram account.
“On February 28th, we are going to remind them who really has the power,” Schwarz said in a now-viral Instagram video with more than eight million views. “The economy does not belong to the rich. It belongs to us, the people who wake up everyday and keep this country moving.”
The NAACP recently released its “Black Consumer Advisory” imploring Black consumers to reflect on the community’s $1.7 trillion purchasing power as an avenue to push for corporate accountability. While not directly associated with the People’s Union USA’s economic boycott, the NAACP is highlighting both corporations that have stood by their DEI commitments and others that have abandoned them.
“We’re proud to launch the Black Consumer Advisory, reminding our community that in addition to voting on our principles, we have the power to choose where we spend our money,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “If corporations want our dollars, they better be ready to do the right thing.”
In Chicago, Black consumers and business owners alike are preparing for the economic boycott on Feb. 28 and beyond. Taylor Wisham, 33, is among them.
“I’m going to participate [in the boycott], but I’m going to be so honest, I don’t have any money anyway,” said Wisham, 33, a culture and arts project manager from Homewood.
However, Wisham’s sentiment reflects a reality for many Americans: a lack of disposable income to intentionally withhold.
“I think there are people whose money has more economic weight and power — those are the people who really should be boycotting,” Wisham added.
Across the board, retail spending dropped nationally in January 2025. Increased rent and grocery costs have wrung out available funds from low-income Americans whose decrease in discretionary spending is often eclipsed by wealthier-Americans’ increased retail spending. While the wealthy’s spending alludes to a recovering economy, low-income Americans are still struggling to save and spend.
For small business owners, the economic boycott also raises the question of impact. Afro-Joe’s co-owner Aisha Griffin said Feb. 28 will just be “business as usual.”
“Typically, businesses look at quarterly or monthly losses so I don’t know how widespread [the boycott] could be for one day,” Griffin told The TRiiBE. “People are still doing it for a cause, so more power to it.”
According to a post from The People’s Union USA’s Instagram account, week-long boycotts against individual corporations are planned for the coming months; General Mills, Amazon, Nestle, and Walmart are included in the projected mobilizations through April. Currently, the planned boycotts are as follows:
- Amazon Boycott: March 7-14
- Nestle Boycott: March 21-28
- Walmart Boycott: April 7-14
- General Mills Boycott: April 21-28
- Amazon Boycott #2: May 6-12
- Walmart Boycott #2: May 20-26
- Target Boycott: June 3-9
- McDonald’s Boycott: June 24-30
Marco Jacobo, co-owner of Miyagi Records in Washington Park, heard about the boycott through TikTok and plans to refrain from major retail purchases. He’s seen his devoted clientele prioritize buying from his independent record store over big box names like Target or Best Buy.
Although Jacobo acknowledges the power of major boycotts to bring economic change historically, he’s wary about the boycott’s influence on corporate and political decision makers.
“I don’t know if the same rules apply with this [Trump] administration,” Jacobo said. “As for changing the bigger picture, with everything going on now, we can only pray.”
Tinges of cynicism of the boycotts and its impact could reflect a greater mistrust for the United States’ economic system. A 2023 survey by Pew Research Center found 65% of Black Americans believe the U.S economic system is ingrained with racial bias and was designed to financially “hold Black people back” in some capacity.
For small, Black-owned business owners, major retail boycotts don’t exactly reflect increased profits for their businesses. Shari Currie runs Recycled Modern, a hybrid vintage furniture showroom and art gallery in Hyde Park’s Harper Court. One of the gallery’s featured artisans, Tamara Capel, is left with questions about how the boycott’s impact can trickle down to the community level. She is the owner of Mutha Art Gallery and an apparel artist.
“Did the [corporations’] bottom line actually drop? And where are you redirecting the funds?” Capel asks, rhetorically.
In support of the boycott, Currie believes the responsibility to uplift smaller businesses shouldn’t only fall on the consumers. The next step for pro-DEI companies, she said, should be that those companies invest directly into local businesses.
“A lot of people just aren’t spending and we have to shift how we are interacting and adjusting to the economy,” Currie said. “DEI allies should put their dollars and resources behind small businesses.
The post Nationwide economic blackout on Feb. 28 will clapback at major corporations backtracking on DEI appeared first on The TRiiBE.
