Consumers Plan One-Day Economic Blackout To Protest DEI Rollbacks

Consumers are planning a 24-hour economic blackout to protest corporate greed and the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.  This follows US President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate federal DEI programs. Organizers encourage participants to avoid spending for the day or support local businesses. Instagram user TheOneCalledJai, also known as John Schwarz,  founded The People’s Union and launched the boycott.  Schwarz expanded the movement to include additional boycotts of Amazon from March 7-14, Nestlé from March 21-28, Walmart from April 7-14, and another one-day blackout on April 18. Experts say boycotts can sometimes pressure companies to reverse decisions but need clear objectives. Conservative activists have previously used them to force businesses to scale back DEI initiatives. This is one of several ongoing boycotts. A national Target boycott began February 1 in response to its DEI rollbacks.  Actress Leslie Jones also launched a year-long campaign urging consumers to buy from Black-owned businesses and organized protests against major retailers. The #LatinoFreeze movement shares similar sentiments, calling for mindful spending to protest DEI cuts and immigration policies Some activists have taken a different approach by organizing "buy-cotts," encouraging consumers to shop at businesses that maintain DEI policies, such as Costco.