LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Tuesday is Blackout Day 2020, when Black Americans are asked not to buy anything at all — not in person and not online — to show their collective economic power.
Those who have to spend Monday are encouraged to support Black-owned businesses.
Some business owners who have been struggling during the pandemic said the Blackout Day boost helps.
Pamela Haines, the owner of Sweet Peaches in the Russell neighborhood, said she has had to cut prices and staff hours — but on Tuesday, the staff was filling 400 catering orders.
Pamela Haines.
“It goes a long way,” Haines said. “All we need is half a chance, and that's what this Blackout Day is giving us is a chance to show what we can do.”
Blackout day is a throwback to the Montgomery bus boycotts of the 1950s, in which people including Rosa Parks campaigned against racial segregation on the public transit system in Montgomery, Alabama.
With Blackout Day, organizers said they want to put pressure on politicians and the business world to end institutionally racist policies.
Black Americans spend more than $1 trillion on consumer goods each year.
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