‘We Ain’t Buying It’ campaign rallied tens of millions to reclaim consumer power, spend with intention, and invest in Black-, minority-, and immigrant-owned businesses.
ATLANTA – Today, Black Voters Matter (BVM), Indivisible, Until Freedom and 50501 celebrate the success of ‘We Ain’t Buying It,’ a multi-racial and multi-generational consumer-led campaign to demonstrate to corporations that there are consequences for not standing up loudly for freedom and core democratic principles of fairness, justice, and liberty.
Amid the biggest shopping day of the year, the coalition rallied its base of tens of millions to show companies that consumers will not accept them putting profits over people by capitulating to an administration intent on harming our communities, and we will move our dollars and resources accordingly. Instead, people across the country reclaimed their consumer power, spent with intention, and invested in Black-, minority-, and immigrant-owned businesses, small businesses and retailers that have stood firm in the fight for democracy.
Since its launch on November 10, 226 organizations have joined in the campaign, including the NAACP, No Kings Alliance and SEIU.
The campaign demonstrated that consumers will not fall for trick marketing tactics like “doorbuster deals” or “one-day sales” and will instead flex their economic muscle to demand corporate accountability. Moreover, at a moment when families are stretching every dollar to purchase daily goods, they are more mindful than ever of how they steward their resources. Reports show that the uptick in spending was caused by inflation rather than shopping enthusiasm, as consumers are spending more on the price of goods.
“Thousands of consumers participated in ‘We Ain’t Buying It’ to tell corporations like Amazon, Target and Home Depot that our hard-earned money is not going to underwrite the collapse of democracy,” said LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter Fund. “We believe in healthy businesses, and we want American retailers to thrive, but not at the expense of our communities. We expect the retailers we patronize to be good stewards of our investment in them—not to redirect our dollars into the pet projects of politicians who undermine our rights and our futures.”
The multiplatform campaign also reached and resonated with millions of Americans. Its digital content garnered over 40 million views. “We Ain’t Buying It” generated over 1,600 media stories across print and online media and TV/Radio. It also drove over 40k people to take the pledge to be a conscious consumer. Ahead of the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the campaign demonstrated that the legacy and efficacy of economic boycotts – enshrined in Black history in cities like Birmingham, Nashville, and Greenwood – still live on.
Small and minority-owned businesses felt the impact directly. Little Blue Cart, a curated directory of progressive, anti-Trump small businesses, reported record-breaking traffic during the “We Ain’t Buying It” campaign period across November 27-December 1, and a near 400% increase in shopper actions month-over-month. Jon Laster, the Founder and CEO of BLAPP, a shopping app that aggregates Black-owned businesses, said that the campaign is “the mouthpiece we need for change”, and reported a 25% increase in downloads over this period as well.
“Voting isn’t the only way we can make our voices heard,” said Nelini Stamp, Director of Strategy for the Working Families Party. “We can send a message with our pocketbooks that if you’re buying what Trump is selling, then we’re not buying what you’re selling. Corporations who cower to the Trump administration aren’t just losing our respect; they’re losing our dollars.”
“When a company sides with authoritarian cruelty, they can’t count on us to keep coming through the door,” said Leah Greenberg, Co-Executive Director of Indivisible. “In the midst of the busiest shopping time of the year, people all over are choosing to support their communities over corporate capitulators. We’re standing up to corporations where it hurts them the most: their pockets. Our values are not for sale.”
“This campaign is just the beginning as we continue to educate our communities about our relationship with capitalism and consumerism,” said Tamika Mallory, co-founder of Until Freedom, Target 3. “Ordinary people have real potential to build power when they are well informed and well organized. We must commit to a long-term plan to hold companies who devalue our communities and capitulate to this Administration accountable. The work continues.”
“The American people showed that they do not just want to mobilize, they want to build real power together, dollar by dollar,” said Sarah Parker, National Coordinator of 50501. “Our communities are done watching corporations cozy up to this administration while our people struggle. If you choose that side, we will walk right past your doors and put our money into small businesses that actually have our backs. Every time we choose a local business over a corporation that profits off our harm, we are choosing our communities and the future we deserve.”
The “We Ain’t Buying It” campaign will build on this momentum to continue applying pressure to companies colluding with the Trump Administration, and standing up for freedom and justice. The organizations will invest in additional economic actions and coalition building with the millions already activated to shift corporate accountability back toward communities. This is not an ending: it’s the beginning of a new trend in consumer consciousness. The people are reclaiming their power.