A Legacy of Resistance: Why Boycotts and Local Action Matter Today
As we come closer to the Holiday season, we must acknowledge that the winds of change are often rooted in the endurance of those who are or have been among groups that have been marginalized, oppressed, denied recognition due to bad policies, or treated as second-class citizens by society’s most powerful people. These powerful individuals, whether elected, appointed, or enriched through enormous wealth, have often used their influence to benefit their own groups at the expense of the aforementioned citizens.
For an added perspective, we can look at some of history’s organized responses to discrimination, whether it was economic, racial or by social status. In December of 1955, the City of Montgomery, Alabama had a policy that supported segregated seating on city buses. It was strictly enforced against Black workers. In response to their demands for changes to the policies, the city refused and thus was born the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted three hundred eighty-one days and led to the United States Supreme Court ruling in June of 1956 that segregation in seating was unconstitutional. The city had experienced significant revenue loss in the absence of Black riders and reluctantly acquiesced after that historic ruling. The boycott has often been referred to as the birth of the Civil Rights Movement.
Since that time, we have seen the rise of Black Lives Matter, sparked by the death of George Floyd as a result of police brutality. And now, in response to the authoritarian approach from the current administration, we have witnessed “No Kings!” rallies across the country—organized actions through which citizens are pushing back against a wave of executive orders from the White House and the implementation of Project 2025.
In questioning this “power grab” by the current president, we now have more opportunities to resist the oppressive manner in which certain freedoms are being eroded. At the same time, much harm is being done to the most vulnerable citizens in our communities—among them children, senior citizens, the unhoused, and working people who are losing jobs at enormous rates.
Bad policies are often supported by corporations that are only interested in profits, which is why they make monetary campaign donations that grant them greater access to political influence—whether with legislators, judges, or the occupant of the Oval Office. With well-established ties, corporations are able to navigate the system far more effectively than many of their less politically active counterparts.
We have found numerous “large and small” corporations that have become headliners in an organized effort by “We Ain’t Buying It,” a newly established group whose main concern is that “too many corporate donors are involved in providing support for the bad policies of this administration.”
Here’s a small segment of those corporations or their subsidiaries:
Apple
Amazon
Google
Hewlett Packard
Jimmy John’s
Boeing Carrier
Chevron (to name a few)
There are also others who operate under parent companies:
Domino Sugar
Minute Maid
Dasani bottled water
Whole Foods
Buffalo Wild Wings
WhatsApp
Arby’s
Waze
With this in mind, we encourage consumers to question: Who am I supporting when I’m buying certain products? Secondly, we must step up this holiday season in support of small business—especially local ones—and consider taking part in the “We Ain’t Buying It” boycott, which is a “pause on shopping, in support of democracy,” directed at Target, Home Depot, and Amazon, taking place from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday. Buy local instead. Keep money circulating in our communities.
With all things being said, every day we have the opportunity to make a positive impact based upon our experiences and our lessons from the past. Those efforts must give us additional momentum to make a difference in our efforts to improve the quality of life for generations to come. We do have the Power, and we have the opportunity to exercise that Power to obtain previously ignored and oppressed communities.
