Black Lives Matter activists have called for black people, people of color, and allies to abstain from spending any money on non-black-owned businesses, especially on July 7, as well as other days after that date, to send a message about the far-left movement.
The movement was apparently triggered by a man named Calvin Martyr, who asked other black people via YouTube to completely abstain from spending starting on July 7, according to BlackOutDay.org.
However, as noted by The Blaze and a CNBC report, that movement is being used to promote black-owned businesses during the so-called “blackout,” apparently the only places where it is acceptable to spend money during the partial economic abstinence session.
“This movement is an awakening of the national consciousness of black people in America and abroad,” the site says. “We need economic solidarity in America amongst all black people unequivocally.”
“In order to break free from the chains of financial servility, we will organize days, weeks, months, and years if necessary when not one black person in America will spend a dollar outside of our community,” BlackOutDay.org adds.
The site also lists the movement’s “asks.”
“Our ASK is that we stop being shot down in the streets,” it claims. “Our ASK is that racist legislation be purged from the books, and the cancerous ideology that this country was founded upon be rooted out. Our ASK is that we have equal opportunity to access funding so that we can conduct business and practice group economics amongst ourselves. Our ASK is that we are allowed to build our own communities and industries and be left alone. Our ASK is that you stop murdering our leaders when they attempt to unite us as a people.”
In his “call to action,” Calvin Martyr says white people will only learn to stop killing and oppressing black people when they fear themselves being harmed, too, referencing the economic blackout.
“When they fear hurting us like we fear hurting them,” he said, that’s when the supposed systemic oppression will end.
During a recent CNBC report on “Blackout Day,” the news outlet cited Kearne consultant Greg Portell comparing the movement to “small business Saturdays.” Though “small business Saturdays” have nothing to do with race or any other immutable human quality.
“So, today’s ‘Blackout Day,’ it’s a spending movement, or non-spending movement as the case may be, started by an individual named Calvin Martyr,” CNBC reported. “The campaign urges black Americans and others not to spend a dollar at a non-black-owned business or brand today.”
“The goal is to use spending power to grab attention, to increase awareness, of the need for equal financial and economic opportunity for the black community,” the report added.
The movement has picked up support from companies like makeup brand Sephora, and according to The Blaze, Vans shoes “showed their support for the day by telling visitors to their website to spend money at a black-owned business before buying their shoes.”
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