Community members are rallying in downtown Kalamazoo to support an “economic blackout,” part of a nationwide effort aimed at gaining the attention of lawmakers and President Donald Trump. Participants are urged to refrain from non-essential purchases on Friday, Feb 28.
One of the primary issues being protested is President Trump’s directive encouraging the private sector to end Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which was targeted at federal agencies. Major retailers like Target, Walmart, and Lowe’s have followed suit by rolling back their DEI programs.
Rally organizer Michelle Zukowski-Serlin emphasized that the focus is on corporations such as Target, Hobby Lobby, Musk, Amazon, and Facebook. She stated, “We are making a statement that these billionaires cannot be corporate welfare. The help needs to be with people who are on Medicaid, the help needs to be with research for cancer, the help needs to be for children getting health care for school, lunches, for education.”
Zukowski-Serlin also expressed concerns about the potential dismantling of the Department of Education, cuts to Medicaid funding, and Elon Musk’s involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). She remarked, “President Donald Trump is not listening to the American people. He is listening to the billionaires and the techies,” adding that the protest aims to communicate through the language of money.
Paul Isely, Associate Dean of the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) College of Business, noted that for the protest to effect change, it should focus on a singular, clear issue. He explained, “If you’re trying to tell too many messages at one time, it makes it hard for that message to get delivered.” Isely acknowledged that similar blackouts have succeeded in the past when focused on a specific issue over an extended period. A one-day boycott may not financially harm corporations but could highlight consumer dissatisfaction.
“Then the corporation can say, ‘we saw a 20% drop in sales that day. We know that there’s a lot of consumers that are trying to tell us something,'” Isely said.
Organizers encourage the public to shop locally if purchases are necessary, which could positively impact Kalamazoo’s economy. The economic blackout rally will take place near the corner of Rose and Michigan Avenue in downtown Kalamazoo, in front of the old Kalamazoo County Courthouse from 12:00-1:30 p.m.
— news from WWMT-TV