In protest of police killings and the recent murder of George Floyd, protestors are calling for all black, Latino, Hispanic, Asian, and all other people of color to withhold spending for one full day in order to economically impact the U.S. The blackout is planned for July 7.
“We need one day of solidarity in America when no racial minority spends a dollar, this includes Black, Hispanic, Indian, Natives, Asian,” said a viral post on Instagram. “Collectively we have 3.9 trillion dollars in economic spending power. One day would cost the U.S. economy $10,684,931,586.80. And we will continue to do it every time a POC [person of color] gets shot by a police officer. We will call it #BlackOutDay2020.”
In addition to the July 7th economic protest, several companies in the entertainment industry will be joining together in solidarity for Black Out Tuesday on June 2.
In protest of George Floyd’s death, entertainment companies will disconnect from their work to focus more on the community and the current issues at hand.
Many companies will refrain from posting their regular content on social media, but will instead post a solid black square. The hashtags that will be used include #theshowmustbepaused #industryblackout #blacklivesmatter #blackoutday2020.
Among the companies participating are ViacomCBS, Artists First and talent agencies CAA, APA, and Pantheon. Pantheon was one of the companies that made an announcement on social media.
“On Tuesday, PANTHEON will join “Black Out Tuesday” we will focus our attention away from work and towards our community. PANTHEON will not hold any meetings nor conduct any business Tuesday. This is not an off day, we will just focus on what really matters. We will stand in solidarity with our black community, artists, clients, employees and colleagues in fighting racial injustice & inequality!”
A growing list of companies are also posting their commitment to the protest.
