Why are people boycotting shopping on Friday? What to know about planned economic blackout

Posted by author February 27, 2025 Shopping

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Consumers in New York and across the country are being encouraged to join a 24-hour economic boycott on Friday, one of several protests organized by activists against companies rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and President Donald Trump’s push to eliminate federal DEI programs.

Participants are being urged to avoid all spending for the day. If they must make a purchase, they are being encouraged to support local businesses – as major retailers are being targeted in the planned boycott.

Here’s what to know about the planned economic blackout.

Why activists are encouraging a boycott

The organizer of the boycott, who goes by TheOneCalledJai on Instagram, but whose real name is John Schwarz, told USA TODAY he started the “bold” idea because the time was right and people are frustrated with what he calls corporate greed and other frustrations.

And in one of several videos about the Feb. 28 blackout on his Instagram page, Schwarz said the day of economic resistance is to show that “we the people are the system.”

“We are going to remind them who has the power. For one day, we turn it off for one day. We shut it down for one day. We remind them that this country does not belong to the elite, it belongs to the people and this will work,” the Instagram video said.

What other boycotts have been planned?

The one-day action has since been expanded by The People’s Union, the organization Schwarz started, USA TODAY reported, and includes boycotts of various companies and retailers during different time periods including Amazon (March 7-14), Nestle (March 21-28), Walmart (April 7-14) and a second broader one-day economic blackout on April 18.

Target is also facing an indefinite boycott after phasing out its DEI initiatives. Minnesota civil rights activists encouraged consumers to stop shopping at the major retailer until it changes it policies, said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network.

Latinos are also being encouraged to freeze spending in response to freezes on DEI policies, funding for the National Institutes of Health and actions on immigration. Both the #LatinoFreezeMovement and #LatinoFreeze movement urge Latinos to purchase essential items only and focus on shopping at “Latino American, Black American and Allied American Businesses that are supportive to this movement.”

Here’s what to know about several other upcoming actions:

A second economic blackout aimed at blocking purchases from Amazon from March 7 through March 14 has also been announced by the same group.
Comedian and actress Leslie Jones announced on her Instagram account planned boycotts and buying actions starting in February and continuing through the end of the year. That plan explained in the video starts and ends with encouraging purchases directly from Black-owned businesses and then planned boycotts for one to two months at a time against Walmart, Target and Amazon.
Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia and an activist and author, has called on the faith community to start a 40-day fast from shopping at Target during Lent starting on March 5, which is Ash Wednesday. The website targetfast.org also has been created to offer information.

Which companies have rollbacked DEI efforts?

Companies’ rollback of DEI policies and initiatives comes among a wave of boycotts from conservative activists. Robby Starbuck and his followers have pressured companies like Walmart, Ford and Tractor Supply to change their policies. President Donald Trump’s administration also moved to end diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility mandates throughout the federal government. These companies have rolled back DEI in the past year:

Amazon
Boeing
Brown-Forman, the parent company of Jack Daniels
Ford Motor Company
Harley-Davidson
John Deere
Lowe’s
McDonald’s
Meta
Molson Coors
Nissan
Target
Toyota
TractorSupply Co.
Walmart

Contributing: USA Today Network

Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.