By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
A nationwide grassroots campaign calling for an economic boycott during the holiday shopping season recently concluded, but organizers say the effort marks only the beginning of broader civic engagement. Known as Blackout the System, the campaign encouraged Americans to pause their spending and labor from November 25 through December 2 to protest economic inequality, corporate greed, and political inaction.
Timed to coincide with Thanksgiving weekend, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the campaign urged participants to avoid shopping at major retailers, refrain from nonessential spending, and abstain from working or traveling where possible. Supporters were encouraged instead to support small, local, and Black-owned businesses to keep economic power within their communities.
Organizers described the campaign as a peaceful, large-scale protest aimed at exposing how consumer culture and corporate consolidation exploit working families, particularly during the holiday season. They also pointed to the ongoing federal government shutdown, which disrupted programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and caused delayed benefits for many low-income households nationwide.
Supporters, including national news personality Joy Reid, said the timing of the boycott was intentional and aimed at highlighting how working families and low-income households disproportionately shoulder the burden of corporate greed and government inaction.
“A general strike, meaning not just an individual boycott against Home Depot or Target, but just stop spending money,” said Reid. “This is an idea that has gathered steam among a lot of people in the activist space.”
In Seattle, Black community leaders and local organizations helped spread the word, urging residents to be intentional with their spending throughout the holiday season. Former state Rep. Dawn Mason said the campaign functioned not only as a form of protest, but also as an educational tool for future generations of activists.
“From November 25 to December 2, our collective silence in spending became a thunderous voice,” said Mason. “The Blackout is not just about withholding dollars; it is a show of economic power and teaching our children that resistance matters.”
What began as a hashtag in 2020 has since evolved into a broader movement. Blackout the System was launched as a digital organizing network with the goal of “promoting solidarity across race, class, and culture.” In the years since, it has become a national campaign aligning with other advocacy groups to challenge corporate power and systemic inequality.
According to its website, the coalition’s aim is to use “collective economic action to pressure both policymakers and corporations.”
While short-term economic boycotts can face logistical challenges and may not always produce immediate financial impact, organizers argue the value lies in long-term movement building and raising public awareness. Participation alone, they say, signals a growing economic consciousness and a willingness to resist systems of injustice.
In Seattle, organizations like the Seattle-King County NAACP expressed alignment with the campaign’s goals. Though not formally affiliated, the branch’s leadership said it welcomed discussions on how local communities can take part in such efforts.
“I would be interested in pushing it,” said L. Darrell Powell, president of the Seattle-King County NAACP. “Economic development we know is a core to a lot of change. We do have an economic development team, but how that takes place locally, I’m not sure, because again, I would advocate for pushing that through our executive committee that we’d be a part of that.”
The movement also encouraged participants to use the blackout period for civic education, community organizing, or volunteering rather than holiday shopping. Organizers framed the boycott as part of a larger protest against issues such as wage stagnation, corporate monopoly, and political dysfunction.
Mason said the action resonated with a deep history of collective protest in Black communities.
“The choices we make this week align with our history,” said Mason. “The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and other actions in unity demonstrated we can shift economies, awaken our conscience, and gain voluntary respect.”
“Stand together and create history,” Mason added. “Be a part of a unifying moment.”
Though the official boycott period has ended, organizers and supporters continue to call on communities to be intentional with their spending and to sustain support for Black-owned and local businesses throughout the year.
