Reneging on promises to the Black community has consequences. Target is still reeling from our boycott, and its suffering continues. Now, we’re preparing to enact the “find out” with We Ain’t Buying It, and it’s a great time to remember just how powerful we are.
#1 Buses: The 1955 Montgomery bus boycott was the most successful in history. Lasting 382 days, the boycott launched MLK into the national spotlight and led to the ruling that segregated public transportation was unconstitutional.
#2 Beverages: In 1981, Jesse Jackson and the PUSH Coalition led a boycott against corporate America. The boycott forced the Coca-Cola Company to hire more Black workers, invest over $30 million in Black communities, and make purchases from a greater number of Black vendors and media companies.
#3 Votes: Greenwood, Mississippi, dragged Black voters through hell to stop them from voting, with tactics ranging from violence to starvation. But several boycotts of local businesses persisted, and in 1969, the city improved infrastructure in Black neighborhoods and hired Black municipal workers.
Boycotts are powerful when we use them to drive collective action and support other forms of resistance, such as legal action, protesting, and self-defense. Get ready for 'We Ain’t Buying It' by shopping early, supporting small Black-owned businesses, and remembering that your presence over the holidays is the real present.