What began as a “mass blackout” — Black Friday spending pause — is quietly stretching into something longer. For many consumers, the boycott of major retailers is no longer tied to a single shopping holiday, but to a broader reckoning about where their money goes and what it supports. As companies roll back diversity commitments, shoppers are responding not with spectacle, but with sustained absence. Whether utilizing local farmers’ markets or buying directly from their favorite brands, many consumers remain steadfast in their belief in equal treatment and the reinstatement of DEI initiatives.
“This (past) Christmas, I’m opted more towards small and black-owned businesses. I won’t lie and say I haven’t bought anything off Amazon since the boycotts, but I haven’t stepped foot inside of a Target, and their stocks are now seeing the results of losing the “DEI” dollar,” Arizona resident, Kye Harrell, explained in an interview with EBONY.
Towards the beginning of 2025, major retailers such as Amazon, Target, and Walmart decided to do away with their DEI initiatives after receiving political backlash and being put under stipulations by anti-DEI legislation from the Trump Administration. In turn, celebrities and influencers alike joined forces in pulling their dollars away from the company and seeking items elsewhere.
Pastor Jamal Bryant has led many of these efforts and called for the continued seizure of spending throughout the holiday season. According to Forbes, the “We Ain’t Buying It” campaign that Bryant is championing alongside lead organizer LaTosha Brown stands on the premise of exuding the Black community’s economic voice and reminding participants, alongside brand owners, of the power that the Black dollar truly holds. In doing so, this has caused thousands and in some cases even millions of dollars to be lost.
“When we started the Target fast, Target was at $145 a share; now they’re at $83 per share. […] They have had market share losses for three consecutive quarters, and they’ve given no acknowledgement to the impact of the movement, but I want to thank all of you who are a part of this community who have driven the extra mile, have turned a blind eye, and have not supported Target and standing with the movement. I’m grateful,” said Pastor Jamal Bryant in an interview with Roland Martin for Roland Martin Unfiltered when speaking on the wave of the boycott specified to Target and the impact that the movement has had.
As the movement continues, it is unclear when the boycott may end, as leaders within major retailers have not announced any formal rectification of previously enlisted programs or a roadmap towards change. However, organizers and consumers are still hopeful that withholding the Black dollar will be the reckoning that is needed.
