Nashville shoppers to participate in nationwide boycott of overturned DEI polices

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A nationwide economic blackout is set to start on Friday.

People are protesting against corporations that have rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Among the stores that are organizers asking consumers not to shop at are Walmart, Best Buy, Target and Amazon.

“Hopefully we can see the impact on African American dollars,” shopper Ruth Ross Edmonds said about to boycott. “Hopefully if enough people get together, it can make an impact.

Organizers say the goal is to disrupt the local economy by engaging in the boycott.

Ross Edmonds says she has participated in these types of protests multiple times.

“This is such an important piece, if we can band together to do this one thing then maybe, if we see that it works, and they see how our money is spent and affects the different communities and the different businesses then maybe we can collectively get together,” Ross Edmonds said.

Over the course of 24 hours, organizers are calling for consumers to not shop at major retailers or make any purchases online.

Many of the corporations made these changes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning DEI.

“There’s power in numbers but there’s even more that can be done,” shopper Linda said. “if people would ban together and do the right thing and speak up, everybody needs to speak up to those in the position to make a difference with what’s going on.”

Organizers are encouraging people to support small and local businesses.