Consumer boycott organizer rallies against big corporations, DEI cuts
John Schwarz is leading a nationwide consumer boycott on Feb. 28 to fight against what he says is corporate greed.
A 24-hour “economic blackout” is taking place Friday. Consumers are being asked not to make any purchases in a boycott that has garnered attention on social media this month.
The boycott organizer goes by TheOneCalledJai on Instagram, but his real name is John Schwarz, USA TODAY reported. He told USA TODAY he started the “bold” idea because the time was right and people are frustrated with what he calls corporate greed and other frustrations.
During this economic blackout, which lasts until midnight, people are asked not to shop online or in-store anywhere, but if they must make purchases, they are asked to only buy essentials and support small, local businesses, according to The People’s Union USA, the organization Schwarz started that describes itself as exposing and resisting “corruption” in corporations, industries, and politicians.
In one of several videos about the Feb. 28 blackout, Schwarz said the day of “economic resistance” was to show that “we the people are the system.” He said in the video that the “economy does not belong to the rich” and that it belongs to the people who keep the “country moving.”
“For decades, they have told us that we are powerless, that we have no control, and that this system is too big, too strong, too unshakable,” Schwarz said.
“We are going to remind them who really holds the power,” Schwarz said. “For one day we turn it off. For one day we shut it down. For one day, we remind them that this country does not belong to the elite, it belongs to the people and this will work.”
Some users, including actor and comedian John Leguizamo, circulated this particular boycott on Instagram. As of Friday, his post sharing this boycott had more than 190,000 likes and several thousand comments. Leguizamo continued to share about this boycott and other boycotts on his Instagram.
What other boycotts are taking place? Target ‘fast’ and Latino Freeze Movement
A Target boycott, described as a “fast,” is scheduled to start in March with Lent, a 40-day period observed by some religious communities that leads up to Easter and involves fasting. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, a pastor, author, and activist, called for a 40-day fast from the retailer in a video posted to Instagram earlier this month.
According to Targetfast.org, it’s a corporate fast and “spiritual act of resistance,” calling people not to spend any money at Target during Lent and to sell any Target stock they own.
“In recent days, we have witnessed a disturbing retreat from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives by major corporations — companies that once pledged to stand for justice but have since chosen the path of compromise,” according to Targetfast.org. “These rollbacks represent more than just corporate decisions; they reflect a deeper erosion of the moral and ethical commitments necessary to build a just society. As people of faith, we cannot be silent. We are called to resist systems that perpetuate exclusion and inequity.”
This effort is separate from a boycott against Target that began at the start of February over the retailer’s decision to phase out DEI initiatives.
A grassroots movement known as the Latino Freeze Movement calls for the Latino community to shop only for essentials and be “selective” in where they shop in response to the rollback on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies and more. The Latino Freeze Movement named more than a dozen companies to not purchase from, alleging that these companies “scaled back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or have been passive.”
USA TODAY reporter Betty Lin-Fisher contributed to this article.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com.