MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Grassroots organizers, political activists, faith leaders, celebrities say Americans should stop spending today as an act of protest against corporations, billionaires and both political parties.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
A man named John Schwarz from the Chicago area began posting his calls for a 24-hour economic blackout on sites such as Instagram.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOHN SCHWARZ: On February 28, do not spend money on anything. Not at any major corporation. No Amazon, no Walmart, no banks, no fast food chains. Only support small, local businesses and essential needs.
MARTIN: Schwarz did not answer our request for an interview about the organization he set up - The People's Union U.S.A., but he has been posting follow-up videos ever since, like this one...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SCHWARZ: We, the people, are the economy. Without us, nothing moves. Without us, there is no profit.
MARTÍNEZ: But the People's Union website says its goal is to, quote, "fight for fairness, economic justice and real systemic change." Social media users and influencers who passed along that message included celebrities such as Bette Midler, Stephen King and John Leguizamo.
MARTIN: Americus Reed is a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. He says just because a planned boycott gets attention on the internet, it doesn't guarantee success.
AMERICUS REED: People will say lots of different things on social media and will report to you lots of different types of outrage. But when it comes down to actually inconveniencing themselves, that's a completely different thing.
MARTÍNEZ: Reed says a 1-day boycott won't seriously affect corporate bottom lines, but that it could raise awareness.
REED: It's going to require the same kind of kinetic energy and sustained motivation that we saw, you know, with the bus boycotts and other sorts of classic boycotts in history.
MARTIN: Other boycott efforts that have caught traction online include calls to stop shopping at retailers after they scaled back their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Some faith leaders are also taking aim at Target, which rolled back its longtime DEI efforts. They've asked their congregations to abstain from Target runs during the Christian observance of Lent that starts next week.
(SOUNDBITE OF DEAN BLUNT SONG, "100") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
