A large-scale consumer boycott using the slogan “We Ain’t Buying It” has been launched, urging people across the United States to withhold purchases from retail giants Amazon, Target, and Home Depot during the lucrative Thanksgiving shopping weekend.
The movement, anchored by the 50501 movement along with prominent groups like the Black Voters Matter Fund, Indivisible, and Until Freedom, began on November 27 (Thanksgiving) and is set to continue through December 1 (Cyber Monday). This period is one of the most profitable retail stretches in the U.S., with consumers historically spending billions.
🎯 Reasons Behind the Retailer Targets
The boycott is described by organizers as an “economic and solidarity campaign” aimed at corporations they believe are complicit with or supportive of the current administration’s policies, particularly those dismantling Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts and those related to immigration enforcement.
Amazon
The 50501 campaign states that Amazon is in its crosshairs for several reasons:
- It allegedly “holds a monopolistic position in the market.”
- It contributes to “dangerous working conditions” for its employees and drivers.
- CEO Jeff Bezos has donated over $1 million to this administration and contributed to the rebuilding of the White House’s former East Wing into a $300 million ballroom. These substantial donations are seen as a sign of political alignment with the administration.
Home Depot
Home Depot is accused of what the campaign calls complicity with immigration enforcement:
- The campaign website states that Home Depot is “allowing ICE agents to illegally detain and kidnap laborers from their stores,” asserting that workers are unable to look for work safely in the communities surrounding the stores.
- Home Depot’s perceived “silence” on the deportation of workers by ICE is interpreted as an indifferent attitude toward its employees and, by extension, alignment with the administration’s immigration policies.
Target
Target is being targeted for allegedly rolling back DEI initiatives:
- The campaign claims Target ended programs aimed at supporting Black employees and curtailed outreach to minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
- The retailer has faced scrutiny after its market share price reportedly fell significantly since the beginning of 2025 following these changes, which the campaign links to the company following suit with the administration’s stance on DEI.
A Target spokesperson addressed the allegations, confirming to Newsweek that with over 400,000 team members, Target has a “long-standing commitment to creating growth and opportunity for all.” The company stated it works daily to empower entrepreneurs, uplift its team members, and strengthen the 2,000+ communities in which it operates.
✊ Economic Pressure and Community Power
The essence of the “We Ain’t Buying It” boycott reflects a growing strategy in activist circles: using consumer spending as political leverage.
Organizers are urging people not simply to “withhold business” from these select corporate giants, but to actively redirect spending toward local, small, minority-owned, immigrant-owned, or ethical businesses. By choosing to shop small and local, organizers hope to send a powerful message about political accountability and the socioeconomic consequences of corporate decisions linked to government policy, emphasizing community power over big corporate influence.