JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The last day of February is a day of boycott for some.
After multiple corporations announced they will be ending their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, a grassroots group, The People’s Union USA, has been encouraging shoppers to stop shopping for 24 hours on Feb. 28. That call to action, which the group has said is also about resisting corruption involving billionaires, has spread to politicians, clergy and everyday people committing to boycott stores as well.
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According to the Associated Press, Google, Target, Meta Platforms, Amazon, Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson, Brown-Forman, John Deere and Tractor Supply are among the companies that have ended or reduced their DEI programs.
Locally, some pastors and politicians are encouraging their church members to not shop at these stores.
Jacksonville Rev. Dr. Christopher McKee Jr. said the boycott is important to him because of ongoing economic and racial injustice.
“It’s important for me to demonstrate that African Americans, our dollar matters and one of the best tools we have to show that is by closing our wallets,” he said.
Florida State Representative Angie Nixon District 13 said she also participated. However, she will also shift her money elsewhere.
“I am going to be doing some intentional spending and intentional buying, focusing on small businesses, businesses of color,” Nixon said.
The effectiveness of the one-day boycott will not be seen until after the boycott ends and even then might not be acknowledged, if it’s effective, until the end of the first quarter.
“I think a one-day action, a one-day black out may have tremendous symbolic power, may have a public relations effect but it is unlikely to have a real economic or financial impact on large businesses,” said Russell Triplett, Associate Professor of Economics at UNF.
Triplett said sustained efforts are really important for effective boycotts and changes in behavior.
“One of the, I think, limitations of a one-day boycott or one day black out is on Thursday it’s business as usual, on Saturday we return to business as usual and there’s not lasting effort,” he said.
Historically, boycotts and protests have been effective for some groups if they last for extended periods of time.
So we want to know, did you participate in the boycott? Tell us why in the form below.