Anti-Trump Groups Launch Boycott Ahead of Thanksgiving

Get ready for a different kind of Black Friday this year! Several prominent advocacy groups are launching a significant economic pressure campaign, urging consumers to participate in a boycott against some of the nation’s largest corporations. The target? Companies they accuse of succumbing to President Donald Trump’s “bigoted and anti-democratic attacks on our communities and our values.”

The ‘We Ain’t Buying It’ Campaign

Dubbed the “We Ain’t Buying It” campaign, this initiative is spearheaded by organizations like Black Voters Matter, Until Freedom, and Indivisible. They are calling on shoppers to boycott major retailers including Target, Amazon, and Home Depot. The boycott is scheduled to run from Black Friday, November 28th, through Cyber Monday, December 1st – two of the busiest shopping days of the year.

In a joint press release, the groups stated, “From cravenly abandoning their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to enabling the terrorizing of our communities, corporate collaboration must stop.” They are demanding that these retailers cease enabling the current administration’s policies, urging the boycott “until these major retailers cease collaborating with and enabling this administration’s harmful policies.”

Investing in Values

Instead of spending their money at the targeted corporations, the coalition, which also includes the Working Families Party and the grassroots movement 50501, encourages consumers to redirect their dollars. They advocate for investing in Black-, minority-, and immigrant-owned businesses, as well as small, local shops and retailers that have consistently stood firm for the rights and freedoms of the American people.

This campaign comes at a critical time, as Black Friday and Cyber Monday are projected to be massive sales events, with online sales alone expected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars. The organizers believe this is the perfect opportunity to wield economic power for social change.

Voices of the Movement

LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, expressed strong sentiments about corporate behavior. “From the day he stepped foot into office, Donald Trump has done everything he can to tear apart the fabric of our communities and strip us of our power and the necessary tools to help us resist his fascist agenda,” she stated. “Instead of fighting back and supporting the very people who put money in their pockets, corporations and retailers have bowed at Trump’s feet. But we ain’t buying it.”

We ain’t buying that the wealthiest country in the world will punish the poor during the holiday season by withholding SNAP benefits. We ain’t buying that families can be torn apart and people kidnapped off the streets by masked ICE agents. We ain’t buying that DEI and racial justice commitments can be tossed aside at the whims of political convenience. And we ain’t buying that corporations are powerless in all of this. — LaTosha Brown, Co-founder of Black Voters Matter

Tamika Mallory, co-founder of Until Freedom, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that corporations cannot continue to profit from working people while claiming helplessness. “They get billions in tax breaks while their executives pocket record paychecks and bonuses, but when it’s time to stand up against fascism and racism, they go silent. We see it, and we ain’t buying it,” she added.

Lessons from Past Successes

The “We Ain’t Buying It” campaign draws inspiration from previous successful boycotts, such as the “Target Fast” over its rollback of DEI initiatives. That campaign reportedly led to significant drops in store foot traffic, stagnant sales, and ultimately, layoffs at Target. LaTosha Brown described the upcoming holiday campaign as a “real blackout,” hoping people will recognize and utilize their economic power to hold corporations accountable.

The campaign encourages consumers not only to boycott the targeted companies but also to “shop small, local, or with businesses affirming our humanity.” Participants are also asked to sign a pledge to be a “conscious consumer” and spread the word to amplify the mission.