What was the Economic Blackout?
You may or not have heard about the “economic” blackout that occurred on February, 28th 2025. Why it was happening was because since Donald Trump’s time in Office, he has gotten rid of DEI policies and some people don’t agree with this action.Those people who do not agree with President Trump on the issue of taking away DEI policies did a one-day boycott against companies who have gotten rid of their DEI policies in their companies.
What is DEI and Why is it Important
DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Laws about this were passed to promote fair treatment and give everyone a fair chance. This act that was passed says that you can’t be legally fired for your race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and more. President Trump in simplest terms said you don’t have to follow that for further notice, saying you can fire anybody for something they can’t control.
Which companies are on which side of the argument
Many boycotts have been planned for future dates against companies such as Walmart, Amazon, Target, Nestle, and many more. People are saying instead you should shop at Black-owned, Latino-owned, and Allied American-owned stores such as Costco. This is because Walmart, Amazon, and Target agree with Donald Trump’s take on DEI policies. But in contrast, stores like Costco have publicly said that no matter what the law is they will continue to do what they see as the right thing to do. And to them that is giving everyone a fair shot and not discriminating when hiring their employees.
When are the future Boycotts planned and who is leading them
There are many future boycotts set in place, not just the one on February 28th. There is one for Amazon March 7 – 14, Nestle March 21- 28, and Walmart April 7 – 14. John Schwarz started these boycotts because of what he said “ Corporate greed and that the timing was right”. On February 1, a boycott was started for Target to align with Black History Month. This was started by civil rights activists in Minneapolis. This also goes along with the Black faith community who are doing a 40-day fast or boycott against Target.Another boycott was started by comedian and actress Lesisle Jones to go through the end of the year on Instagram. Then Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network held “buy-cotts” to bring supporters to Costco to spend money in support of the company’s board of directors who voted down the effort to drop DEI initiatives. Then finally there will be a broader 2nd one-day boycott on April 18th.
John Schwarz
Leslie Jones
What were the results of the boycotts and what is the predictable outcome
In these boycotts since these are very big companies there wasn’t a big dent in their sales. But if the activists keep up with the boycotts eventually there will be something to show for their work. These numbers could also have been affected by“post-holiday spending pullbacks, decreased consumer confidence, economic and tariff uncertainty, and unseasonably cold weather”(USA Today). “R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai told USA TODAY. “While ‘Economic Blackout’ day on February 28, 2025, may have been influenced by these factors, its specific impact is difficult to isolate, as most retailers saw year-over-year declines in line with recent weekly trends” ( USA Today). Keep reading to hear the numbers.
Costco: Increased in Web Traffic by 8.3% from 2.7 million users the previous Friday to 2.9 million users on February 28th. However, they had a 6.9% decrease in App traffic . Going from 1.4 million users the previous Friday to going to 1.3 million users on February 28th.
Amazon: Web traffic decreased by 6% The previous Friday they had 69.1 million users and on February 28th they had 65.9 million users. Their App traffic also decreased by 1.7%. Going from 52.2 million users the previous Friday to 51.4 on February 28th.
Walmart: Web Traffic decreased by 6.5%. The previous Friday they had 11.9 million users and on February 28th they had 11.2 million users. And their App traffic also decreased by 2.5 % going from 13.9 Million users the previous Friday to 13.6 million users on February 28th.
Target: Their web traffic decreased by 1% going from 4.8 million users the previous Friday to 4.7 million users on February 28th. And then their App traffic also decreased, going down 10.9%. The previous Friday they had 3.9 Million users then on February 28th they had 3.5 million users.
Well now that you have all the data. What do you think?
Do you think people should have the right to protest this issue? Do you think the DEI laws should’ve gone away or never existed entirely or should’ve stayed the same? Comment your opinion down below!
“What Has Dei – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – Done for U.S. Workers and Employers?” CBS News, CBS Interactive, www.cbsnews.com/news/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-corporate-programs/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
Lin-Fisher, Betty. “What Are the Results from the Feb. 28 Economic Blackout? See What Data Shows.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 5 Mar. 2025, www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/03/04/did-feb-28-economic-blackout-work/81191601007/.
