Boycotting is my Favorite Action for Liberation!

Not only can I participate in boycotting, everyday, whether actively (making the most ethical possible substitution when making a purchase), or passively (not purchasing anything at all), but I can also broaden my boycotting targets whenever I am able, creating ample opportunities for motivation and action.

I Have Been Boycotting Some Institutions for Over a Decade!

I have been boycotting organizations whose values directly cause harm, since I was a child. Now an adult, with greater knowledge of the sociopolitical and historical importance of boycotting, these liberation actions are core to my orientation as an abolition and liberation centered person

I have never regret boycotting, and I have never lost anything by boycotting.

These truths are what motivate me to continue to utilize boycotting as a concrete, daily, action, by which to advocate and fight towards liberation of oppressed peoples everywhere. Paired with the calls of oppressed people for those of us in the most privileged seats of Western Imperialism, to do what we can; I feel that boycotting must be done, and it must be done by me.

Admittedly, it is difficult to remain so diligent and conscious when spending money or attempting to access things that have become ‘necessities’ in our own daily lives. However, I have learned that there are strategies to help ease the transition from small boycotting efforts, to more broad actions, as well as practices that help you to strengthen your ability to boycott for liberation, over time.

Knowing Where You Spend is Important!

What does your financial output look like? Not in terms of exact numbers, but in terms of general percentages and usage. Take account of your financial habits and output with these questions:

• Does the majority of any ‘disposable income’ (money that does not go to housing, groceries, or bills) get spent in any one place, such as on takeout, art, games, pets, accessories, etc? Where does it get spent?

• If you do not have any ‘disposable income’, how do you spend your current finances, even within necessity? Are there more ethical substitutions to be made in the brands that you reach for, at the grocer, pharmacy, online, etc?

Substitutions are Second!

Once you have a more conscious understanding as to where your money is being spent, and what purchases are most important to you, you will be better able to identify opportunities for boycotting!

For example:

Maybe your budget allows for occasional limited-drop art purchases through an online retailer. Once you look further into the retailer’s details, you find that your purchases help to support a cause that directly contributes to the funding of genocide.

Rather than continuing to purchase on a limited basis, you can look for a retailer who speaks out against and defunds genocide, instead! It may take a few months, and you may miss out on the ‘limited release’ opportunities, but your money will be spent in a way that supports, rather than inhibits, liberation!

The grocery store and pharmacy can also be places stocked with brands who refuse to let employees unionize, directly contribute to the genocide of our Palestinians, Congolese, and Sudanese siblings, and fund the direct destruction of our planet, for profit. As we all start spending more consciously and intentionally, our homes, and eventually entire marketplaces, will change to reflect liberation centered values!

Tools to Use When Trying to Boycott

Some of the best tools that I have used to get informed, in terms of boycotting on a daily basis, have been websites and databases that include quick search functions. Below is a compiled list of those sites, social media pages, and apps which have been most helpful to me, when boycotting.

• https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/company-profiles
• https://boycott-israel.org/boycott.html?_gl=1*edlwyv*_up*MQ..*_ga*NDkxMDc4NTA1LjE3OTIwNzczNDk.*_ga_180PTR07NS*czE3OTIwNzczNDgkbzEkZzAkdDE3OTIwNzczNDgkajYwJGwwJGgw
• https://consciousspend.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/conscious.spend/

Something that you may want to consider, as you begin to introduce more broad boycotting actions into your own life, are what movements for liberation mean the most to you. As you will find, there are many people and groups boycotting many institutions for many reasons; follow what speaks to you and remain steadfast!

I believe in you!