Consumer Boycotts Leverage Economic Power for Societal Change

Key Quotes

"We ain’t buying it we ain't buying this fascism we're not buying that we're the wealthiest country in the world and we can't take care of its citizens and you're cutting off and hurting and harming um some of the people who have the least amount to be able to lose in this moment while you're stockpiling and supporting billionaires we just ain't buying it."

LaTosha Brown argues that the "We Ain't Buying It" campaign is a rejection of policies that harm vulnerable populations while benefiting the wealthy. Brown emphasizes that this sentiment is a refusal to accept a system where a wealthy nation fails to support its citizens, particularly those with the fewest resources.

"The branding for this pressure campaign is we ain't buying it organizers want you to pull back from spending money at target and home depot and amazon now in a press release they say the companies have caved to donald trump's bigoted and anti democratic attacks on our communities and our values from cravenly abandoning their commitments to diversity equity and inclusion."

The text explains that the "We Ain't Buying It" campaign specifically targets major retailers like Target, Home Depot, and Amazon. According to a press release, organizers believe these companies have yielded to discriminatory actions and abandoned their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"The three that we picked amazon home depot and target part of what we've seen with amazon is really trying to capitulate to them in hopes of getting these tax breaks but at the end of the day the tax breaks are not what makes your business profitable people power people and so they all have a brand but more than anything i do want to just share we ain't buying it is not a boycott we ain't buying it is a campaign it's an economic action campaign that many a spectrum there are some people that are doing boycotts there are folks that are drawing their money there are people who are shifting their money to mutual aid it is an opportunity and it was a campaign for us to be more conscientious about how we're using our dollars in a way that does not hurt and harm us."

LaTosha Brown clarifies that "We Ain't Buying It" is an economic action campaign, not solely a boycott, encompassing various forms of financial withdrawal and redirection. Brown highlights that while Amazon may seek tax breaks, true profitability stems from people, and the campaign encourages consumers to be more mindful of how their spending impacts themselves and their communities.

"The bottom line is enough of the gangs we're holding these companies to account that you cannot continue to support this authoritarianism and we're going to be okay and you're going to have our money but i also want people to be cautious around this movement wasn't did not center the businesses right this movement centers us as consumers that we have to be more conscientious and if nothing else what we know is there were 6 5 million engagements around this campaign online on social media we had 226 organizations national organizations many of them that have millions of members that joined this effort."

Brown asserts that companies are being held accountable for supporting authoritarianism and that the movement centers consumers' conscientious spending rather than solely focusing on businesses. Brown points to significant online engagement and the participation of numerous national organizations as evidence of the campaign's reach and impact.

"The other thing it was multiracial it was multicultural it was multigenerational i would go on tiktok and i would see a 20 year old making this fantastic social media post about it there were elders who were actually boycotting in front of home depot singing uh christmas carols like we saw white people black folks members of the api community for me this campaign encapsulated of this is what america looks like that this is a part of america that says that we actually value diversity and creativity and equity and inclusion that's what we value right not just as a policy but we value this as a principle."

LaTosha Brown describes the "We Ain't Buying It" campaign as a multiracial, multicultural, and multigenerational effort that reflects a core American value of diversity, creativity, equity, and inclusion. Brown notes participation across different age groups and racial backgrounds, emphasizing that these values are principles, not just policies.

"We want businesses to thrive but we want them to feel a sense of that they're a part of the community and you got to be a good member of the community to really be able to get support and so for as we're redirecting we want folks to redirect our resources to where it really matters that there are so many local businesses black owned businesses women owned businesses that are really the lifeblood in our communities."

Brown advocates for redirecting consumer spending to support local, Black-owned, and women-owned businesses, emphasizing their role as the lifeblood of communities. Brown believes that businesses should strive to be good community members to earn support, indicating a desire for businesses to thrive in conjunction with community well-being.