A nationwide boycott of Walmart and its affiliated brands began this week as advocates and shoppers protest the retail giant’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in response to recent executive orders from President Donald Trump.
The People’s Union, the same grassroots movement that initiated the nationwide economic blackout on Feb. 28, also planned this protest, which includes Walmart locations and online stores, Sam’s Club (which is owned by Walmart), and Walmart’s label brands Great Value and Equate, according to USA Today and Blavity.
When is the Walmart boycott?
The boycott will run from April 7 to April 14. The group’s first boycott initially included Walmart and other major retailers and restaurant chains like Target, Amazon, Best Buy, Nestle, General Mills and McDonald’s. Walmart is the only company that will have two rounds of boycotts within a month. The People’s Union shared the schedule of upcoming boycotts and economic blackouts in an Instagram post.
Boycott plans will continue to run through July 4 for the advocacy group, including a three-day economic blackout from April 18 through April 20, similar to the Feb. 28 blackout event. Shoppers are encouraged to buy from local businesses if they need to purchase items, per USA Today.
‘We are the economy’
People of the Union founder John Schwarz has been very vocal on the group’s Instagram account, sharing information about the boycotts and why they are instrumental in helping consumers regain control of the economy instead of wealthy corporations.
“Seven days. No Walmart. No more funding the very corporations that hoard billions while your families and mine work two jobs just to survive,” Schwarz said in an Instagram post on Tuesday. “This is not just a boycott. This is a message. We are the economy. We are reminding these corporations and the politicians they sponsor that without us, they truly are and have nothing.”
He continued: “We are not asking for handouts. We are demanding accountability. These corporations must pay their fair share in taxes. They must fight manufacturers for a reasonable profit cap, and there must be a return to human dignity in this country, across the board.”
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