As shopping dominates the reason for the holiday season, LaTosha Brown wants Black consumers to save 100% off with an economic protest of retailers who take us for granted. Inspired by the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Brown is launching the “We Ain’t Buying It” campaign to “turn protest into power and our wallets into weapons for change.”
Money talks, and the Black Voters Matter co-founder knows a blackout on spending at major corporations from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday will speak in a language those in power can’t help but hear loud and clear. This coming week, she wants to make our dollars count by only investing in businesses that invest in the community. The movement takes aim at some of the biggest names in the holiday shopping game to send a meaningful message.
LaTosha Brown exclusively told NewsOne, “20 – 40% of retail sales happen on one weekend that starts with Black Friday. Look Black folks, if they want to call it Black Friday, let’s show them what a Black Friday really looks like.”
Brown’s rallying call, “We Ain’t Buying It,” refers to divesting from harmful policies and institutions as much as the companies that support them.
“We ain’t buying this foolishness. We’re not buying this racism. We’re not buying the abandonment of DEI. We’re not buying that the wealthiest country in the world cannot take care of its own citizens, but can take money to build golden dining rooms. We’re not buying from companies that won’t stand with us,” Brown said.
According to weaintbuyingit.com “This action is taking direct aim at Target, for caving to this administration’s biased attacks on DEI; Home Depot, for allowing and colluding with ICE to kidnap our neighbors on their properties; and Amazon, for funding this administration to secure their own corporate tax cuts.”
How To Participate In The “We Ain’t Buying It” Movement
We Ain’t Buying It “urges African Americans to use economic pressure to demand respect from companies that profit from our culture but abandon our communities.”
The steps to participate in this movement are simple.
Full Blackout: No purchases from Target, Amazon or Home Depot from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. Instead of spending money, focus on spending time with loved ones.
Redirect Spending: Skip the companies undermining democracy. Shop small, local, or with businesses affirming our humanity for Small Business Saturday.
Join the Movement: Pledge to be a conscious consumer.
Amplify: Spread the word. Share the message in conversation and online.
The website also provides a toolkit of resources to get informed, get involved, and get others down for the cause.
We Ain’t Buying It Continues The Legacy of The Montgomery Bus Boycott As The 70th Anniversary Falls On Cyber Monday
Although the heart of “We Ain’t Buying It takes place from Nov. 27 – Dec. 1, the brief boycott is bigger than this moment. It is a continuation of the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, which used collective economic action to demand change.
Cyber Monday, the annual peak of online shopping, also marks the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott on Dec. 1. Brown seeks to remind everyone who enjoys rights from those sacrifices that “the road to freedom isn’t finished — it’s evolving.”
Brown and the We Ain’t Buying It movement “call on a new generation to carry the torch of courage, community, and change.” The iconic example from Montgomery was far from the easiest or most convenient choice in a community where few households had cars. It wasn’t an impulsive action by Civil Rights legend Rosa Parks; it was a weeks-long strategic sacrifice from a community united for a common cause of dignity, equality, and justice.
It’s long overdue for the U.S. to do right by the Black community and as long as the biggest institutions and corporations refuse… WE AIN’T BUYING IT!
