Source: sdart / Getty
In recent weeks, protests in the support of Black lives have taken many forms with various industries making an attempt to appeal and support those who have suffered racial and social injustice. Today (July 7), a nationwide call for an economic protest dubbed “Blackout Day” has launched with many on social media vowing not to spend any money today in a bid to call attention to the concerns of Black people.
According to the Blackout Day
website, the protest is fashioned as an “awakening of the national consciousness of black people in America and abroad. We need economic solidarity in America amongst all black people unequivocally.”
Further along in the About section of the site, the organizers add, “[a]lthough this movement is exclusively targeted at empowering and uplifting black people all over the world, we welcome ALL people of color to stand with us in solidarity. Black people alone account for an estimated 1.2 trillion dollars or more of spending in the economy annually. Together we have 3.9 trillion dollars in economic spending power.”
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The website says this particular movement was sparked by a video featuring Texas activist Calvin Martyr, who proposed the idea of the Blackout Day event using some of the talking points present on the Blackout Day website. This movement is similar to other such events with some proposing “Blackout Weeks” and other forms of withholding the Black dollar while funneling those funds into Black businesses strictly.
In recent weeks, corporations and organizations alike have promised to stand in solidarity with the current movement and calls for justice, and there has been an uptick in Black businesses getting much-deserved light and attention.
Across Twitter, those intending to join the Blackout Day protests have stood tall in their conviction, and we’ve shared a few of those tweets in the gallery below.
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Photo: Getty
