What to Know About a One-Day Feb. 28 Economic Blackout

By Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY Consumers are preparing for a 24-hour economic blackout on Friday, one of several boycotts planned by groups of consumers or activists to protest what they call corporate greed, companies that have rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate federal DEI programs since taking office. On Friday, those groups are encouraging consumers to not spend any money anywhere for one day. If they have spend, they are encouraged to buy from a local business. Why do organizers seek a spending boycott? The organizer of the boycott goes by TheOneCalledJai on Instagram, but his real name is John Schwarz. 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. The one-day action has since been expanded by The People’s Union, the organization Schwarz started. It includes boycotts of various companies and retailers during different time periods including Amazon (March 7-14), Nestle (March 21-28), Walmart (April 7-14) and a second broader one-day economic blackout on April 18. Do boycotts work? Conservative activists have successfully rallied in recent years to force retailers and companies...