A growing movement is gaining traction across the United States as consumers gear up for a nationwide protest dubbed the “Feb. 28 Economic Blackout.”
Scheduled for Friday, February 28, 2025, this 24-hour boycott urges Americans to refrain from spending money at major retailers, fast-food chains, and gas stations.
The initiative, spearheaded by a grassroots organization called The People’s Union USA, aims to send a powerful message about consumer influence, corporate greed, and recent policy shifts.
As reported by several mainstream news outlets, here’s what’s driving this protest.
According to CBS News, the blackout is a reaction to persistent economic frustrations, particularly the rising cost of essentials like food, gas, and housing.
The outlet highlighted how prices spiked again in January 2025, with eggs averaging $4.95 a dozen, pushing consumers to their limits.
The People’s Union USA, founded by John Schwarz, a 57-year-old Queens, New York native, positions itself as a non-partisan group focused on “fairness, economic justice, and real systemic change.”
Schwarz has emphasized in social media videos that the boycott is about rejecting “insane prices, corporate greed, [and] billionaire tax breaks” while everyday Americans struggle to get by.
Newsweek adds that the protest is not just about prices but also a broader push against corporate power.
The People’s Union encourages participants to halt all non-essential purchases from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on February 28, targeting giants like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy.
Schwarz has clarified that the goal isn’t to disrupt daily life—automatic payments can proceed—but to redirect spending away from big corporations and toward small, local businesses if purchases are necessary.
A significant undercurrent of the blackout, as reported by multiple sources, is the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Newsweek notes that the protest coincides with President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions dismantling federal DEI programs.
Trump’s orders, which include freezing funds for non-compliant companies and banning inclusion-based messaging, have prompted corporations like Amazon, Target, and Google to scale back their DEI efforts.
PBS even shuttered its DEI office in response. The People’s Union and its supporters see this as a “regressive” move, with some calling for targeted boycotts of companies abandoning DEI commitments.
Yahoo News underscores that while the Feb. 28 blackout is a broad action against all major retailers, the DEI issue has galvanized specific support.
Celebrities like John Leguizamo, Stephen King, and Bette Midler have amplified the cause on social media, linking it to both economic and social justice concerns.
However, The People’s Union maintains its primary focus is on economic resistance rather than a singular political stance.
Forbes reports skepticism about the blackout’s immediate financial impact, with analysts arguing that a one-day spending freeze may not significantly dent corporate revenues.
Schwarz acknowledges this but sees Feb. 28 as a symbolic launch.
“If a million people on the 28th do not spend a dime, that is a hit,” he told CBS News, suggesting it’s a stepping stone to more sustained actions.
The People’s Union has already planned follow-up boycotts, including a week-long Amazon blackout from March 7 to March 14, signaling a strategy of escalation.
Reuters hasn’t directly covered the blackout yet, but its past reporting on economic protests provides context: consumer-driven actions often struggle to shift corporate behavior unless they gain widespread, prolonged traction.
Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis civil rights lawyer, told Newsweek she supports the blackout as a reminder that “we the people are actually the ones who hold power in this democracy,” drawing parallels to historical efforts like the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
