As the current administration chips away at long-standing laws and values, so many people are paralyzed — unsure of how to respond, but deeply wanting to do something. What can we do to put things right? Express our disapproval? Fight back? Strike a blow for civil rights, education, reproductive freedom — even justice itself. There are so many battles happening at once, it’s completely overwhelming.
Many causes and organizations need your help. So, we urge you to take action. Choose your issue — or issues — and get to work. There’s plenty to do…or not do. The simplest approach with the least amount of effort? Don’t support companies that use the current administration’s roll-back on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to justify its opportunistic, unconscionable revocation of America’s hard-won DEI initiatives and standards.
As Chad Murphy of the Cincinnati Enquirer explains, consumers are boycotting — among others — Amazon and Target to signal their disapproval. Nestlé’s up next: starting today, March 21, and running through March 28, consumers are asked to tell Nestlé to take a hike.
The chocolate giant is anything but sweet — and has its hands in many different pies. Nestlé owns or controls dozens and dozens and dozens of brands that run the gamut from candy and ice cream to baby food, dog food, bottled water, frozen foods, and breakfast cereal.
As more and more boycotts are announced, the question arises again and again: Do boycotts work?
Yes. Absolutely. Doug Melville of Forbes took a long, hard look at the subject.
Here’s just one example. A recent Target boycott began on March 5th and is scheduled to last for 40 days and 40 nights, aligning with the Lenten season. Atlanta Pastor Jamal Bryant and other faith leaders organized this action in response to Target’s decision to scale back its DEI initiatives.
On February 28th of this year, consumers took part in a 24-hour Economic Blackout Day that caused Target’s web and foot traffic to drop by close to 11%. Following the company’s November 20th, 2024 forecast of disappointing profits and holiday sales, Target lost $15.7 billion in market value after its share price fell 22%.
These days, Herr Elon Musk’s Tesla sales and stocks are in free fall as he continues to push his racist agenda as an unelected — and drastically unqualified — oligarch.
Born and raised in Apartheid-era South Africa, Musk and his ilk – as The Guardian describes them – “emerged from a historical tradition that revered hierarchy and sought to sustain racial and economic dominance, only to find themselves in a world where that order was unraveling. Their politics reflect an instinct to preserve elite rule, cloaked in the language of meritocracy and market freedom, while channeling resentment toward new power structures they view as threats to their position.”
That’s it in a nutshell, folks. Destroying DEI is one more attempt to eradicate whatever progress America’s made in redressing the vast social and economic inequities that have plagued us for centuries.
Doug Melville of Forbes makes a very canny point about boycotts: they do indeed work, but to remain effective, consumers will have “to turn to new outlets and build new brand relationships for their everyday items and anchor purchases.”
Boycotts work because they hit companies where it matters most: their bottom line. When enough people simply redirect their spending, the impact is impossible to ignore. This isn’t about deprivation or hardship — it’s about choice. It’s as simple as taking your business elsewhere. With more boycotts on the horizon, this is your chance to be part of something powerful. Small actions, when taken together, send a loud message. So get ready. The next move is ours.
A good start to building new relationships with the providers of our food, clothing, and entertainment is to stop using the old ones that do not share our world views. Imagine a day without Amazon. Then a week. Then a month…You get the idea.
Lew Welch – peer and companion of Jack Kerouac – whose “Chicago Poem” ends with these words:
I don’t know what you’re going to do about it,
But I know what I’m going to do about it. I’m just
going to walk away from it. Maybe
A small part of it will die if I’m not around
feeding it anymore.
Here’s a list of ongoing and upcoming boycotts that you can stand up to by simply disengaging from these corporations:
Nestlé: March 21–28
Walmart: April 7–14 and May 20–26
Second Economic Blackout: April 18
General Mills: April 21–28
Amazon: May 6–12
McDonald’s: June 24–30
Independence Day Boycott: July 4th
