Black Out Day? Mmmmmm, Not So Much
Apparently, an Atlanta radio on-air personality is spearheading a national purchase boycott day, to be held on November 2nd, in honor of the Jena 6. Entitled, National Black-Out Day, the goal is to cripple the economy for one 24 hour period, to raise awareness of the J6.
Unfortunately, I won't be taking the usual AfAm "lets-do-it-yeah!" tack, though. While I like the sentiment, what I'd rather see happen is from each and all of us interested in the freedom -- or at least fair treatment -- of these young men, a letter to the Attorney General of the State of Louisiana decrying the handling of the case, and asking for an investigation of the Parish Attorney prosecuting the Jena 6.
If you still want to boycott something, direct the boycott against Louisiana specifically: for example, cancel planned conventions. Cancel your upcoming vacations there. Or move Essence-fest to neighboring Texas. Boycott Mardi-Gras perhaps. Maybe even stop buying Louisiana Hot Sauce or McIlhenny & Co. Tabasco pepper sauce.
Wait, what am I going to season my fried chicken with? Sorry, a bit selfish, I was.
But you get my drift. A more-specifically targeted type of thing.
While a black boycott of stores in say, Rochester, Minnesota, might make one personally feel better, I'd rather see direct , substantial action against Louisiana, as that would get more notice and have a more pronounced effect.
Sure, our dollars are important, but lest we forget, America has a $4-5 trillion gross domestic product. Even if each black person in America didn't spend a single cent for that day, it'd be a drop in the bucket. But the United States only has 50 Attorneys General. And if one of them felt that his rice bowl was about to be overturned by angry citizens of his state assisted by others from across the nation that might contribute to an opposing political candidate, he'd surely become much more attentive to the reasons behind his potential ouster from that rather select club of 50 mentioned above.
That's how you exercise power.
Don't take food out of the mouth of Salim and his family in Seattle by boycotting his corner deli -- he probably makes a damn good roast beef sandwich, and he's not who you have beef with -- no pun intended.
No, instead, make Bayou Bobby (or Piyush, his given name) Jindal (the new Governor-elect of the Pelican state), Attorney General Charles Foti, and LaSalle Parish Attorney Reed Walters feel it.
That's who we're really angry at anyway.
Unfortunately, I won't be taking the usual AfAm "lets-do-it-yeah!" tack, though. While I like the sentiment, what I'd rather see happen is from each and all of us interested in the freedom -- or at least fair treatment -- of these young men, a letter to the Attorney General of the State of Louisiana decrying the handling of the case, and asking for an investigation of the Parish Attorney prosecuting the Jena 6.
If you still want to boycott something, direct the boycott against Louisiana specifically: for example, cancel planned conventions. Cancel your upcoming vacations there. Or move Essence-fest to neighboring Texas. Boycott Mardi-Gras perhaps. Maybe even stop buying Louisiana Hot Sauce or McIlhenny & Co. Tabasco pepper sauce.
Wait, what am I going to season my fried chicken with? Sorry, a bit selfish, I was.
But you get my drift. A more-specifically targeted type of thing.
While a black boycott of stores in say, Rochester, Minnesota, might make one personally feel better, I'd rather see direct , substantial action against Louisiana, as that would get more notice and have a more pronounced effect.
Sure, our dollars are important, but lest we forget, America has a $4-5 trillion gross domestic product. Even if each black person in America didn't spend a single cent for that day, it'd be a drop in the bucket. But the United States only has 50 Attorneys General. And if one of them felt that his rice bowl was about to be overturned by angry citizens of his state assisted by others from across the nation that might contribute to an opposing political candidate, he'd surely become much more attentive to the reasons behind his potential ouster from that rather select club of 50 mentioned above.
That's how you exercise power.
Don't take food out of the mouth of Salim and his family in Seattle by boycotting his corner deli -- he probably makes a damn good roast beef sandwich, and he's not who you have beef with -- no pun intended.
No, instead, make Bayou Bobby (or Piyush, his given name) Jindal (the new Governor-elect of the Pelican state), Attorney General Charles Foti, and LaSalle Parish Attorney Reed Walters feel it.
That's who we're really angry at anyway.
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