Good Friday shopping boycott: Protest over stores dropping DEI policies runs through Easter

Yahoo

18-04-2025

Starting on Good Friday, April 18, consumers across the United States plan to stop consuming through Easter Sunday, April 20. At least at big box stores.
The planned boycott, dubbed "Economic Blackout 2.0," follows a recent weeklong boycott of Walmart, "40-day fast" of Target, boycotts of Amazon and Nestlé, and the first Economic Blackout, a 23-hour spending freeze.
The nationwide efforts are in protest of the retail giants' decisions to roll back their DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — policies under pressure from a conservative activist. The changes came before President Donald Trump returned to office and began systematically eliminating federal DEI programs.
While Atlanta Pastor Jamal Bryant and other Black faith leaders called for the Target boycott, which ends when the Christian observance of Lent does on April 17, others, such as Economic Blackout 2.0, have been promoted by The People's Union USA.
"This blackout is about taking our power back," the organization said on its website. "It's about reminding every corrupt entity that we don't need them, they need us."
Similarweb, a digital marketing intelligence company, analyzed data from the date of the first Economic Blackout in February and found that overall traffic at the top 100 e-commerce sites was down 6% year over year. Another retail consultant, Momentum Commerce, said that Amazon sales for the day were up 1% over the previous eight Fridays.
Economic Blackout 2.0 runs from 12:01 a.m. April 18 through April 20.
"On blackout days, avoid shopping, streaming, online orders, fast food, and everything in between," the site said.
It's recommended. "Only support independent small businesses if you truly need something. Otherwise, lock it down," the site said.
The People's Union USA has more consumer boycotts planned through July. Here's the schedule:
General Mills: April 21-28
Amazon: May 6-12
Target: June 3-9
McDonald's: June 24-30
Independence Day boycott: July 4
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a term used to describe programs and policies that encourage fairer representation and participation for groups that have been historically and systematically marginalized, such as Black people, women, LGBTQ+ community members, disabled people and ethnic minorities in the United States.
DEI programs in business are intended to make sure that everyone — especially groups that have historically been underrepresented or discriminated against — receives fair treatment and that differences are embraced to improve relations and teamwork and increase cultural sensitivity.
In education, DEI typically refers to strategies, policies and practices that provide all students equal access to educational opportunities, regardless of their background, identity or abilities.
DEI programs exploded in popularity during the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, especially after the murder of George Floyd and several other Black Americans led to worldwide protests against racism.
Critics claim DEI programs prioritize underrepresented people in categories including race, ethnicity and gender to the exclusion of more qualified candidates and treat them as anti-white, anti-male, ideologically driven policies that serve as racial discrimination against white Americans, with some even saying they contribute to antisemitism.
Supporters say anti-DEI advocates see only white men as capable and intelligent and assume all women and people of color, no matter how qualified, are only in a position of power due to quotas.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: DEI shopping boycott on Good Friday. What stores targets of protests