The Black community represents $1 trillion dollars in buying power in America. Consisting of single race, multiracial and Hispanic people, millions of people identify as Black Americans. Of those 46.8 million Americans, black woman often times are the deciding factor in general elections, are household decision makers and curators of American pop culture.
The buying power of the black community – wielded by black women, directly contributes to the profits of companies that donate to legislative super PACS and election campaigns to protect their interests. These same companies’ contract/partner with celebrities and ambassadors to appeal to a consumer base without providing equitable opportunities to those communities, essentially perpetuating the exact culture that harms their customers.
Corporations often benefit from favorable tax situations and outlast the many individuals that build and shepherd their brands. In America the land of the free where capitalism thrives – social issues are debated by politicians advocated for by activists and used for social capital by corporations. Right? The everyday citizen has equal responsibility also. Select decision makers love to gaslight the public into to believing they’re limited, and economic freedom is a myth. Well as we grow more as a human race we learn, that simply isn’t true. As a result, there are a few changes we can make at the micro level to ensure our voices are being heard and our perspectives are being not only considered but are being taken seriously.
Of course, exercising your civil liberties by voting and engaging in civil discourse is a few ways to constructively contribute. Is it enough? These measures aren’t often used as preventative measures but rather as a response to tragedy leaving people feeling either hopeful or hopeless.
The Trillion Dollar Pledge is a promise to yourself and your community to be a conscious consumer, to question the business practices of your favorite brands and to exercise your personal power by spending your hard-earned dollars with businesses that support and understand your community. This pledge will ultimately open up the decision-making process to possibility rather than circumstantial obligation.
This is the start of a longer, broader conversation and a far-reaching campaign to identify and provide alternatives to facilitate a fuller human experience for all. If we don’t start somewhere, we are complicit in the systemic oppressions we are determined to expose and change. By taking the pledge you’ve made the decision to step into your power and not only reclaim your time but invest in your future.
Sign the Trillion Dollar Pledge here.
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