Dear Kinfolk:
Mychal Bell is back in jail and it's clear that the white (in)justice system has not heard our message yet. Marching is good, but it's not enough.
American businesses do most of their business and realize all of the year's profits in the days before Christmas, after which they cut their prices (and their losses) by reducing prices by up to fifty percent.
If Blacks put off our Christmas shopping until the week after Christmas, then two things will happen: (1) The business will be brought to their knees because they will loose the profitability of Christmas, and (2) Blacks will buy all of the same products after Chrismas, except that we will buy with discounts of up to 50% during the post-Christmas sales.
Instead of annoucing that we are postponing our Christmas buying, we should announce that we are boycotting Christmas entirely, so that the panic of having a bad Christmas prompts retailers to offer even more desperately deep discounts in the post-Christmas sales.
But how can we convince Blacks to participate in such a national action? We can tell them that everytime they think about Christmas, they should think about two things: (1) Mychal Bell of the Jena Six will be spending Christmas in a jail cell (again), and (2) solidarity with the Jena Six will result in up to 50% savings on Christmas presents, because prices ALWAYS go down after Christmas.
To show the public our determination and to remind Blacks that there is a boycott going on, we should hold demonstrations in front of shopping areas all across the country. Now, our demonstrations have moved from the court-house to in front of "Massa's" stores. Both Blacks and whites will be reluctant to cross picket lines to enter stores, but we (and they) will know our protests are success at a particular store if the store is devoid of Black shoppers. Each our of protest will cost stores thousands of dollars.
This nationalizes our struggle and gives Black people in every community a way to express their outrage and the imprisonment of the Jena Six and of Black America.
If you want to show white America that we mean business, let's show them that we understand how business works and use our knowledge as a weapon to gain our freedom AND great saving on Christmas presents.
Keeping prices high after Christmas will not be an option for retailers, because they need to sales (to whites and to Blacks) to clear their Christmas inventory.
The seven-day period ended Jan. 3 accounted for 14.1 percent in 2003, up from 12.8 percent in 2002.
Francis
8 comments:
Francis,
You brainstorm fast! Wow! We as black folk are the largest consumers, and imagine that it will be a challenge to get the black christian base to boycott Christmas base to boycott Christmas, someone over the years we too have been duked into this fascade of Christmas, the Virgin Mary, and the dark wise men arriving to bring fair baby Jesus his gifts...argh.
That's one plan, but we still have to remember, that while we're implementing ideas, they're still planning another strategy to appease the white masses who yearn for ole yesterday. It's literally a game of chess.
It's not about boycotting Jesus, but just about boycotting the commercialism until the prices go down in the week after Christmas. It doesn't say in the Bible that we have to go to Wal-Mart before Christmas to celebrate Jesus, or go at all for that matter. Putting off shopping until December 26 honors God, because it honors Christian solidarity among men.
florida guards aquiited in stomping death of boy 14.Boycott CHRISTMAS period.we cant pinpoint this as the birth o christ like thanksgiving didnt happen in the winter an the pilgrims never really gave thanks they gave shanks in the backs of our people not the indians.Declared a federal holiday in 1870.
The boycott WOULD combine with the black people who only celebrate kwanza which starts on the 26.Kwanza kids get their presents on that day forward for 7 days.If we all stopped buying on christmas. Then the albions would ha ve a kwanza sale for us.If we could possibly only buy black for three months toys an everything from dec.to march the stock market would drop.Then maybe they would want to listen.We do have power in the dollar but we dont use it.Twenty years ago one of our leaders stated we spent enough money on alcohol tobacco an drugs that year to buy cbs,nbc,an abc.This doesnt include what we spent on all other things like food.An old strategy that remains effective in revitalized an utilized correctly like the jena six march.they let him out to calm people down,soon as we get one they take back two.lets do our rituals on them,let us make charges in our court on them.great timing by brother francis, when do you sleep my brother do you sleep.you accomplish a lot in 24 hours.great work on the blog
As a group, we are large consumers. We love products and material possesions. I hope that we start realizing that these dollars aren't circulating back into the black community. I agree it's time to buy black and stop supporting the greed of corporate America.
This is a wonderful idea. What better way to get the attention of those in positions of power. This could also be a valuable lesson for our youth - we as a people need to stop with all of the materialism which is only benefiting the wealth.
Our kids walk around with $100 tennis shoes but can't spell or solve math problems.
I'm glad you like this idea, AJ. We're sounding out the Black community to see what ideas they think will be most feasible and effective. Then, together, we'll all choose the best ideas from among the alternatives.
Great idea !! Boycott downtown stores during Xmas. That way whites can send their children shopping without having to worry about them getting Jena sixed !!
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