On February 28, 2025, there will be a national economic blackout taking place. In this climate of upheaval in the country at the hands of an extremely corrupt administration, along with corporate greed and rebellion against diversity, equity, and inclusion, many are calling for us to close our wallets for one single day of solidarity in order to send a message that the so-called powers that be will feel. The idea is that while our voices do matter, nothing makes these people respond like a loss of revenue.

While this all seems noble, the challenge for most boycotts doesn’t start on the outside. It starts on the inside. It starts with people that would actually benefit from what the boycott is looking to accomplish being the first to respond negatively to a call for simple action. It’s usually the same question: What difference will any of this make? Then, there’s the follow up question: Why is it only one day?

I’m also seeing a lot of people wondering what the point of this is if we spend money the day before or the day after. I’ve come to these conclusions in the midst of these questions. First, it seems as we don’t want to go a single day without spending money. That’s problematic. Second, I see why it’s so hard for us to break habits because we don’t see a value in taking the first step because we want the entire staircase all at once.

Many are missing the totality of what the boycott is calling for. It’s not a total boycott on spending. If there is an absolute need, the idea is that you will do what you have to do. However, the point that people are glossing over is the point of the boycott where we’re encouraged to shop small businesses and to shop locally. It’s not a boycott against our basic needs. It’s a boycott against large corporations.

The spirit of the boycott is for us to get back to supporting each other on a smaller scale rather than feeling the need to line the pockets of people that don’t operate in the best interests of society as a whole. The spirit of the boycott is to lift up the “little man” as opposed to propping up a system that’s designed to crush the little man.

Many of those that question the point of a one day boycott don’t understand how significant a single step is to changing a habit. It’s ironic that people that will bristle at a one day protest will claim that the protest should be longer. But if one day is an inconvenience, a week without Amazon would send them over edge.

From my perspective, the idea of this is to change our habits. Where the boycott calls for shopping locally and at small businesses, the hope would be that we would continue to shop at those places going forward. The hope is that we come to realize that much of what we’ve been made to believe that we need in two days has never been that urgent. Much of what we’re ordering from the Amazon behemoth could be purchased by just making a quick stop on the way home from work or while we’re out running errands. You know, like we used to do before we were convinced that we couldn’t be bothered.

As a small business owner, I’ve always been sensitive to this. People can buy my books anywhere, but I’ve always tried to guide them to my website so that I didn’t have to share my profits with big corporations. Some people have obliged me, while others did what was most convenient for them. Either way, I’m blessed, but because I understand what it’s like to have my profit split with some company that never spent a moment working on my projects, I do my best to buy directly from people that are in business independently.

This call for going smaller and local has been something I’ve been trying to do since December of last year. Particularly, over the last month, I’ve made it a mission to avoid certain corporations and I’ve done my best to encourage my wife to do the same. It’s all about breaking habits, but most importantly, it’s about principles. Most large corporations only have corporate interests and they have no concern about social responsibility, equity, or public wellbeing. That is, until it affects their bottom line.

We don’t need to sit still or be overly critical of a one day effort to send a message simply because these systems won’t fall in one day. In this current climate, we must build a habit of resistance. Habits aren’t formed in one day. They’re formed over time. Step by step, and inch by inch. Make no mistake about it, after the Montgomery bus boycott, some people never rode the bus again. I know, that boycott lasted a long time. But it all started with a step. And in the event that this first step isn’t enough for some, my hope is that they will step aside and let those of us that believe it matters do what we do. February 28th isn’t about winning the war in one day. The point of it all is to send a message.