Hi Andrew,
We are now in the thick of the season that we call #BlackXmas…conceived by Black Lives Matter in 2014 in response to the murder of #JohnCrawford by police inside a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio. John, #StevenTaylor, #RedelJones, #YuvetteHenderson, #AlbertRamonDorsey, #DennisToddRogers, #SkyYoung, and so many others remind us that white-supremacist-capitalism has always used police violence to maximize profit even when it means the theft of human life.
#BlackXmas is about disrupting white-supremacist-capitalism. It is about refusing to allow the same system that steals the lives of our people to whip us up into a consumerist frenzy and profit from us…especially during the holiday season. It is about being intentional with our dollars. Let's use our dollars to #BuildBlack, #BuyBlack, and #BankBlack.
Last week, we encouraged everyone to #BuildBlack by donating to Black-led, Black-serving organizations. We don't have to buy things for the holidays! We can donate in the names of our loved ones. Resources for building Black are on our
blackxmas.org website.
But you know Andrew, sometimes…Sometimes your mama needs a new sweater! Sometimes your child really wants a skateboard! Sometimes we need (and want) things…That's why we should be intentional about where we buy.
If Walmart is responsible for the theft of #JohnCrawford and #StevenTaylor's lives (not to mention a whole rash of additional offenses to humanity and Black people), don't get them your dollars! You can buy from Black-owned businesses that need your support now more than ever.
During the pandemic, upwards of 40% of Black-owned businesses have closed. Supporting the ones that remain and new ones that have opened is essential to the economic viability of the Black community. Having an economic strategy, including boycotting and "buycotting" are tactics that have been used throughout Black freedom struggle…Think Black Wall Street, Montgomery Bus Boycott, lunch-counter sit-ins, Apartheid divestment, and Black cooperatives.
The bottom line: If you are going to buy, #BuyBlack. Black Lives Matter members are hitting the ground this season, profiling Black-owned businesses. You can find a list of Black-owned businesses that benefit the Black community at
blackxmas.org/buyblack. To be clear, we are not seeking to replace white capitalism with Black capitalism. We are moving in an imperfect world to usher in the principle of ujamaa (cooperative economics), the idea that we can build strong economic communities that we can all profit from together and from which we can collectively benefit.
Buying Black is a necessary step. And for our non-Black allies…this means you too! You don't have to be Black to #BuyBlack, and doing so is
crucial to solidarity work. Check out this
article in #Yes magazine for more information.
Let's honor the lives of those who were stolen from us. Let's honor the legacy of Black freedom struggle by using our economic tools and #BuyBlack. Happy #BlackXmas!
-- Black Lives Matter
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