By Latin Life Denver Media

Consumers are preparing for a 24-hour economic blackout on Friday February 28, 2025, one of several boycotts planned by various groups of consumers or activists to protest what they call corporate greed, companies that have rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate federal DEI.

Corporations that have cancelled their DEI programs include Boeing, Home Depot, McDonald’s, Harley Davidson, Target, Disney, and Walmart have scaled back or eliminated entirely their DEI efforts, canceling supplier diversity programs and leadership diversity goals. Lowe’s withdrew support for LGBTQ+ events and severed ties with the Human Rights Campaign, while Zuckerberg’s Meta, parent company of Facebook, dismantled its entire DEI team and scrapped all initiatives aimed at advancing equity. 

The Latino community has also been active on social media using the hashtag #LatinoFreeze, led by Dolores Huerta, encouraging supporters to “hold your money” amid freezes on DEI initiatives, reduced funding for the National Institutes of Health and actions on immigration.

The movement encourages Latino Americans to shop only for essentials and to be thoughtful about where to buy with a focus on supporting “Latino American, Black American and Allied American Businesses that are supportive to this movement.”

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.

Consumers are boycotting major retailers , Here’s what they plan for ‘blackout’ on Feb. 28

WHEN:

Friday, February 28th from 12:00 A.M. to 11:59 P.M. 

 WHAT NOT TO DO:

Do not make any purchases

Do not shop online, or in-store

No Amazon, No Walmart, No Best Buy

Nowhere!

Do not spend money on:

Fast Food

Gas

Major Retailers

Do not use Credit or Debit Cards for non essential spending

WHY THIS MATTERS!

~ Corporations and banks only care about their bottom line.

~ If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message.

~ If they don’t listen (they won’t) we make the next blackout longer (We will)

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Only buy essentials if absolutely necessary (Food, Medicine, Emergency Supplies)

If you must spend, ONLY support small, local businesses.

SPREAD THE MESSAGE

Talk about it, post about it, and document your actions that day!

Feb 27 – Town Hall with Crow (must register online) sent separate email on Tuesday

Feb 28 – Economic boycott

Mar 7-14–  Amazon boycott

Mart 21-28 – Nestle boycott  (goggle what they make…many things like KitKat, water, etc)

Apri 7-14– Walmart boycott

Apr 18 – Economic boycott  #2

Apri 21-28- General Mills boycott (look up)

Among the steadfast pro-diversity companies that refuse to cancel or rollback DEI efforts are Microsoft, Ben & Jerry’s, Delta, Cisco, e.l.f. Beauty, and Patagonia. They continue to uphold their commitment to workplace inclusion, despite relentless attacks from the right. Apple has reinforced its stance on fostering a “culture of belonging,” while Costco’s shareholders overwhelmingly rejected an effort to dismantle its inclusivity programs, with 98% voting to keep them in place. 

 “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” Angela Davis