“Consumers have taken to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to encourage others to sit out the annual shopping ritual this year to show their opposition to the grand jury decision and to make a broader statement about race relations the United States.
Two hashtags, #BoycottBlackFriday and #BlackoutBlackFriday appeared to gain traction on social media last night and this morning, with users pledging to stay home this weekend in hope that their closed wallets would send a message.” Read the full story here.
“On social media, people called on black Americans not to shop on Black Friday this Friday in order to express their anger at the grand jury decision. Using the hashtag #BlackOutFriday, social media users pointed out black Americans’ spending power and asked black Americans to stay out of stores.
“The Black Community has nearly 1.1 Trillion Dollars in Buying Power,” tweeted New York-based social media consultant Mike Street, who began spreading the word on Monday along with media strategist Denitria Lewis and youth advocate L. Michael Gibson.
A group called Blackout for Human Rights also used social media to ask people not to shop on Black Friday as a form of protest. Tweeting under the handle @UnitedBlackout, the group said, “The time for change is now!” Read the full story here.
“…protesters believe justice was not served for Brown and see his case is a symptom of a larger issue in the US surrounding race. They argue that officials will pay attention if the public can unsettle the economy with a boycott.
Two hashtags, #BoycottBlackFriday and #BlackoutBlackFriday are being used to promote the campaign, and gained traction on social media last night and this morning.” Read the full story here.
“…it’s important to note that boycotts for social change have worked in the past: most notably, the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 prompted by Rosa Parks’ arrest, which led to the desegregation of buses. Naysayers will say that racial discrimination on buses leading to a bus boycott is a connection that’s easier to make than the more nebulous link between Black Friday shopping and ending police brutality. But, with a more sustained effort, and a list of specific demands, a boycott that affects businesses could work eventually (after all, it took the bus boycotters 13 long months to effect change).” Read the full story here.
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