ABOLITION
EVERYDAY SH!T: THE PILOT ISSUE
Content Notice: consumerism, economic boycott, extractive capitalism, economic deprivation
“Have faith in the uncertain timeline of liberation. It is unfolding every day.”
I want to start by echoing the sentiments of Angela Davis — that freedom is a daily struggle — and the familiar proverb that you have to make the best with what you’ve got. This is the framework through which I understand the Economic Blackout of February 28, 2025 — a mass, one-day boycott of all purchased goods to protest corporate greed, imperialism, and the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. This action gained widespread attention and mobilized organizers locally and beyond through social media. While flawed just as we are, the directive was clear: resist consumerism and refrain from buying anything for just one day, in hopes to cause enough inconvenience to the political, financial, and military elite and pressure them towards our demands. Our bargaining chip: as the working class and primary consumers within capitalism, we hold the leverage to disrupt the market through our behaviors, investments, and purchasing power.
While previous social media advocacy campaigns — like the Black Squares Instagram Failure of 2020 — have been since critiqued as performative activism, this more recent boycott turned political intent into real-world action through a burst of economic resistance. There were, however, caveats and permissions to this effort. For example, participants could buy at small or local businesses (in cash), particularly for necessities and emergencies. However, this did not sit well with critics who found it counterproductive and hypocritically convenient. Not only did they argue it lacked the specificity to have notable direct impact, but it also allowed unnecessary concessions to engaging with capitalism, contradictory to its intention. Many questions arose: who will be disrupted and by how much; what is the intended outcome; is one day too short for real transformation; will this become another misguided effort in an age of instant gratification or can it evolve into a sustained movement?
I was there among the many of us reposting and committing in solidarity. As an organizer with the Black Alliance for Peace, I am no stranger to actions, demonstrations, and other ninja missions. However, I am also fallible – a complicit patron of Amazon, and its exclusive, hyper-convenient, membership and universe. I, too, am an informed participant of such controversial luxuries, even as I remain divested from Starbucks, McDonald’s, Target, and other problematic corporations. It is clear that we are in the midst of a global hegemonic battle, with historically extractive countries operating as monopolies and oligarchies of a colonial enterprise. These states, alongside equally powerful corporations, compete for the extraction and domination of nations, peoples, and ecosystems in the pursuit of ever-expanding wealth and power. Indeed, we are living in a contemporary dystopian classic, one shaped by real-life supervillains wielding seemingly unchecked control over a suppressed global majority. Tariffs, deportations, occupations, recessions, surveillance, and deception – all orchestrated by governments puppeteered by the highest bidders – define the conditions of our present moment; not entirely unfamiliar, but undeniably unprecedented.
But that doesn’t make inconvenience less tempting to assuage with one swift click or swipe. I wanted to order food that day; I had been too busy cogging in the wheel to make myself dinner. I had to convince myself, somehow, that I did, indeed, have food at home – even if it was just the ingredients for yet another pot of black bean soup. So I made the soup (for the second week in a row), and while it was no pad kee mao, it was consistent, quick, and ultimately satisfying. Likewise, I almost ordered a rideshare to a poetry event at Blk Ivy nearby, but opted instead for the trolley, paid for with my pre-loaded transit card. I even wondered about ordering a book from Amazon the next day but reminded myself to redirect to Bookshop.org. A day without purchasing can be inconvenient, but not impossible. And while the call was only for 24 hours of divestment, it served as a rehearsal for a lifestyle rooted in mindful consumption.
Organizers of the Civil Rights Era and the Black Liberation Movement prepared for the violent consequences of racist backlash, from intimidation to physical assault, through regular training, political education, and practice. The seminal Montgomery Bus Boycotts would not have lasted 381 days without intentional preparation and collective discipline. As with fitness, boundary-setting, or any other form of personal growth, resistance requires repetition. Just as our politically conscious predecessors prepared for constant struggle, so too must we submit to the humble, daily work of building our muscles of resistance if we are to move closer to liberation. It is naive to expect a mass mobilization on the scale of past movements without first developing our political consciousness and cultivating a practice of mindful spending. To assume we are all at the same point in our journey lacks grace, nuance, and understanding. Still, encouraging sustained efforts can spark residual effects in the broader movement.
“Just as our politically conscious predecessors prepared for constant struggle, so too must we submit to the humble, daily work of building our muscles of resistance if we are to move closer to liberation.”
In fact, several companies experienced noticeable declines in web and foot traffic – key indicators of potential revenue loss. Forbes reported that Target’s web traffic decreased by 10.9%, foot traffic dropped by 10.7%, and app fell by 14% compared to the previous Friday. Similarly, Walmart’s online traffic fell by 6.5% and Amazon saw a 4.6% decrease in web visits. Contrary to this trend, however, Costco — having thus far maintained its DEI commitments — saw a 22% rise in web traffic, an increase of roughly half-a-million visits. Moreover, data from Earnest Analytics indicated a 7.4% year-over-year decline in debit and credit spending on February 28, with specific sectors like restaurants and wholesale clubs seeing notable drops. These trends suggest that the blackout had tangible economic effects, whereby companies perceived as more equitable saw measurable gains while those complicit in political violence or regressive policy lost potential revenue. While the long-term financial impact remains uncertain, additional boycotts have already been announced.
- March 7-14: Amazon Boycott
- March 21 and 28: Nestlé Boycott
- April 7-14: Walmart Boycott
- April 18: Economic Blackout
- April 21 and 28: General Mills Boycott
- May 6-12: Amazon Boycott
- May 20-26: Walmart Boycott
- June 3 tonight: Target Boycott
- June 24-30: McDonald's Boycott
- And perhaps others I haven’t noted...
Thus, the economic blackout of February 28 wasn’t merely a one-hit-wonder, but rather, the intro to an emerging mixtape of working-class harmonies. Critics argued that a single day of action was insufficient for sustained economic disruption, citing a lack of clear demands, direction, and strategy. And they’re right. We must become increasingly principled in our advocacy, organizing, and revolutionary efforts. That might look like canceling the Prime membership altogether, building cooperatives, unions, and mutual aid networks, or joining a political organization to build collective power. The reality is that not all of us have the privilege of divesting without significant consequences. That tension is part of our daily discernment. Still, we have witnessed a moment in modern history where leveraging our collective purchasing power made a tangible impact on major corporations.
“One-day economic blackouts are surely not the end goal; they teach restraint, discipline, and offer a glimpse into longer-term practice. They urge a shift from passive protest to active divestment, from the symbolic to the material, from social media to real life.”
One-day economic blackouts are surely not the end goal; they teach restraint, discipline, and offer a glimpse into longer-term practice. They urge a shift from passive protest to active divestment, from the symbolic to the material, from social media to real life. Day by day. I believe this is the framework of abolition: the dismantling of carceral, predatory systems and their replacement with reparative justice, accountability, and community care. This is how one day becomes one week, and one week becomes a turning point, and that turning point leads to transformation.
Have faith in the uncertain timeline of liberation. It is unfolding every day.
Saskia Kercy is a scholar-activist, educator, and writer from Philadelphia by way of Haiti. A master of economics with accolades in research and poetry, she has been published across newspapers, magazines, and literary journals. Saskia currently serves as an adjunct professor of economics, research consultant, organizer, teaching artist, and creative writer. More from this eldest daughter @saskiakercy and bysaskia.co.