Boycott Starbucks…Boycott the Oscars... Boycott Gucci & Prada… Boycott Netflix… Stand with Kaep and Boycott the NFL… I heard it, you heard it and quite honestly, I can respect the sentiments. However, the bigger issue is the lack of organization around the called boycotts and the lack of an alternative to what they are requesting be boycotted. I’ve done enough research on the plight of the African in America to say that this needs to be given a little direction in order to make a meaningful impact. Here is my take on the whole boycott issue...
High End Fashion and the Slave Mentality…
The most recent call for a boycott is of the high end fashion lines of Gucci and Prada. This took me back to my early years of self discovery. On a Black College Tour during my Senior year in HS, I bought the book Breaking The Chains of Psychological Slavery by Dr. Na’Im Akbar. I can go on and on about how this book changed my life but I will just stick to the point he made in reference to slaves and clothing. Dr. Akbar described the attire of slaves which I will not go into further because I won’t insult your intelligence. However, he goes on to talk about how when ‘Massa’ or another white person discarded an article of clothing such as a hat or a shirt, he would do so by “gifting” it to a slave on the plantation. This created an euphoric reaction from the slave who received the item. The dual effect is that other slaves viewed the person who received the clothing as being “special” or important because they had on “Good Clothes”, clothes associated of course with White People. Who we all know had strategically placed themselves as the head of society, thus what all men "should" aspire to be. The clothing gave them this false connection to being a part of the "superior race" because nothing else could create such a connection.
Fast forward to today and the same psychological mindset plays itself out with athletes and entertainers wearing these designer brands such as ‘Gucci & Prada’. The question becomes is the clothing appealing or are they simply a status symbol? It’s obvious what I think it is.
Personally, I would like to ask the entertainers calling for a boycott, what are we demanding? What Black Fashion alternative are you presenting to be supported in lieu of the boycott of these high fashion brands? A page can be taken from Tracee Ellis Ross who used her platform as the host of the American Music Awards to feature a high end black designer with every wardrobe change. (12 in total) Shout out to her and it is alternatives such as these that need to be highlighted at this time, while a boycott is being called of Gucci and Prada.
Tracee Ellis Ross used her platform as host of the 2018 American Music Awards to highlight 12 Black High End Fashion Designers. Every outfit she wore as host was a homage to Black Creative Excellence
On another quick note, while people don’t agree with Spike Lee, I think his push for diversity in the design room is very necessary. Why? It creates an opportunity and it can possibly curtail bad ideas from leaving the cutting room floor. Representation is power...
How Did You Stand With Kaep? Are we caught in the hoopla or listening to the message?
I did not support the NFL Boycott. I am and have always been a 49er fan. I was a huge Kaepernick fan before he used his platform to fight against racial injustice. So when he spoke up against Police Brutality I was all for it. However, I did not support the NFL Boycott. Why you might ask? Primarily, I don’t recall Kaepernick asking people to Boycott. I recall Kaepernick asking people to donate to his Know Your Rights Campaign and his million dollar pledge of $100,000 for 10 months to organizations that fight racial injustice. A call that he completed and raised $1 Million with the help of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Snoop, Meek Mill, Serena Williams and others. Did I send financial support to the cause… NO… I took up the other part of his pledge, which was to help educate and elevate people are statistically more likely to become victims of oppression with my time and gifts. I volunteered and did other things in the community to help further the fight against racial injustice. I told people that I would support the boycott if it was accompanied by a pledge to volunteer our time helping people on Thursday nights, Sunday afternoons and Monday nights. (The times the NFL is going to be boycotted) My point is that action with no objective is blind noise. I choose to participate only in things that I can see some type of formidable impact being taken part in. No shade being thrown but if you simply didn’t watch and did not support an organization with your time or money then I would argue that you missed the point of what Colin Kaepernick was and is attempting to do… Too frequently, our struggle against oppression in this generation is missing the trees for the forest...
Boycotts... Are they really successful? Lessons lost from Montgomery Bus Boycott
The most famous boycott in American history is of course the Montgomery Bus Boycott. What is obviously being lost is the reason that the boycott was successful. THERE WAS AN ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY THAT TOOK PLACE THAT WAS ATTACHED TO DEMANDS. While we know that Rosa Parks and Dr. King were key figures in the boycott, we must not lose sight of the fact that they were both members of the Montgomery Improvement Association. An organization that had 22 members. This alone speaks to how they were strategically ready to sustain a boycott that lasted 13 months and included impeccable logistical strategizing and masterful communication in a world that existed without social media. We know the story so no need to go there but I will note that the boycott ended when the demands of the organizations were met.
Why were the demands of the organizations met? Simply because the downtown stores and other businesses that largely depended on the Black dollar of Montgomery citizens was not flowing in. These business owners were being financially crippled and begin to lean on their White brethren in the city council to start negotiating and meeting the demands of the Montgomery Improvement Association on behalf of the Black citizens of Montgomery. The boycott of one industry (the bus) led to a subsequent boycott of others, namely the businesses in downtown Montgomery.
Montgomery Bus Boycott was highly sophisticated. Above is a picture of a mass carpool organized by the Montgomery Improvement Association.
Just from my observation, the Boycott of all these businesses today largely are lacking the organization and demands of the Montgomery Boycott and are typically why nothing major comes from them. My wife argues (and I tend to agree although I have theory which I will suggest later) that Boycotts can only be effective locally. Global chains, she suggest will simply cut workers and keep their bottom line. History suggest that she is correct in terms of National and Global businesses. This is why boycotting can have its drawbacks and may not garner the support from as many Black people as we would like to support. Going back to Montgomery, the wealthier Blacks who were also being segregated against, offered their cars in strategic carpools that made sure people were still able to get to work. Lots of the women at that time were domestics and history shows that some White women even drove “across the tracks” to pick up the Black women who worked in their homes. Either way, the stability of the household was maintained during the 13 month struggle for our humanity.
Knowing what will be the counter strategy of a boycott enables us to use the power of social media and the press to get out in front of the counter move before the corporation can make the move and thus make our boycott more effective… I’m sorry, I am talking strategy, let me stop unless we get an organization around the demands we are making, Oh right, what demands…
A Boycott That Could Work In Theory…
Ok, enough of the sarcasm. I actually think a proactive Boycott could work. Here is what I proposed among friends amidst the police killings of our countless unarmed or fleeing brothers and sisters.
I suggested, that if we collectively picked a set of corporations that are largely dependent on our dollars say Coca Cola, Walmart, or whatever corporation we decide. IF, we collectively for a week did not buy their product or brand, with the demand that this boycott and subsequent boycotts of other companies will be reinstated immediately and will remain in effect indefinitely if the next cop that shoots an unarmed or fleeing Black man is not arrested immediately and held without bond until they face trial.
Alright, stay with me, Let me go back over that and break it down a bit more…
Prior to the next Black man being shot - we as a concerned community - (Don’t need united front, just be concerned with the issue) pick a business, brand or company to boycott. Example, we don’t shop at Starbucks (nope I haven’t forgot them), don’t buy Coca Cola (Brand) and don’t watch (or we cancel our subscriptions) Netflix for a week. We sit back and watch the fallout from our economic impact, which will only be significant if we get a substantial amount of people to join in. A week is long enough to show that we are serious and short enough to be committed to by our community.
The losses they will incur will create leverage for us to be taken seriously. (I’m sorry history is proving that they can care less about a Black Lives Matter protest.)
This leverage can be used to get justice for the immediate families of our Brothers and Sisters who are being slaughtered in the streets by cops… We can’t prevent the Cop from shooting but we can use our buying power to influence a conviction if the cop is guilty. You can jump on me for saying "if the cop is guilty" but fair is fair. I don’t want a person who acted lawfully to go to prison. The body cam and the details will show the truth, if we don’t like the outcome than we pull our support and that will not be viewed as a threat. It will be considered a promise because we have successfully affected their bottom line before which proves that we can do it again. The effect would be very similar to the Montgomery Business owners talking with City officials to meet the demands of the Montgomery Improvement Association… Will it work? Not sure? However, the one thing I do know is the only thing that beats failure is a try? So what do we got to lose by shooting our shot? No pun intended...
Alternatives To Consider & Websites to Explore On the Issue
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