After our October meeting, one of our volunteers took on the assignment of researching and organizing some thoughts about economic activism (thank you, Joanie!). Economic activism is using economic power to drive systemic change. It leverages our collective financial power, and it empowers us as individual consumers, investors, and workers to use our voices for change. 

When we change our purchasing habits, investment strategies, and labor actions, we can pressure organizations to align their practices with social and environmental values and hold them accountable for doing so. We can also have a direct positive impact on the local communities in which we live and work.

Economic activism is not only a powerful influence alongside political progress, but it is also a powerful and direct avenue for change when political progress is stalled or blocked.

What can we do? We can make economic choices that: demonstrate our dissatisfaction with decisions that don’t align with our democratic values (protest); demonstrate our satisfaction with decisions that do align with our democratic values (affirm); and provide tangible support for individuals and groups who are negatively affected (aid).

For example, to Protest, we can:

• Avoid buying products and services from non-aligned organizations (e.g., the People’s Union USA recommends a November boycott of Amazon, Target, Home Depot, Kellogg’s).
• Cancel subscriptions. (e.g., Indivisible recommends canceling subscriptions to Spotify Premium).
• Evaluate individual financial investments and divest where appropriate.

To Affirm, we can:

• Purchase from progressive, socially responsible businesses (e.g., Penzeys, Bombas, Patagonia)
• Shop from local makers and locally owned businesses.
• Rethink purchasing, and especially gifting in this season. Consider second hand, hand made, consumable, and/or experience gifts.

To Provide Aid, we can:

• Volunteer at a local non-profit that serves vulnerable populations (e.g., Community Action House, Nestlings, Hope Packages)
• Organize a neighborhood drive to collect and donate material items (e.g. food, paper products, mittens, books) 
• Raise money. For instance, pledge your next birthday to fundraise—or financially sponsor a fund-raising event—for Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates.

Specific Actions for Holland Zeeland Indivisible

1. Choose your level of commitment to conscious spending over Thanksgiving weekend. Various organizations are calling for different actions from November 25 to December 2, which includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. Indivisible national has partnered with other organizations to promote “We Ain’t Buying It.” This includes boycotting Target and Home Depot on Black Friday and Amazon on Cyber Monday. The People’s Union USA is calling for no “big box” spending, only supporting local businesses. Black Out The System is calling for a mass economic blackout. No work, no spending for the entire week. Our circumstances are all different, but it’s hoped that everyone can choose a level of action that raises their own awareness of how they’re using their economic voice.
2. Participate in The Cooking Oil Challenge! The challenge was outlined at our November meeting: Gather 200 bottles of healthy cooking oil at our December 11 meeting. This single-item drive complements other food drives in our community with an essential ingredient for cooking that is not often donated to support our neighbors served by Community Action House during this especially challenging time. To meet our challenge, consider organizing a cooking oil drive in your neighborhood, buying a bottle of oil each time you go to the grocery store, or making a bottle of cooking oil the price of entry to your Thanksgiving dinner. For each donated bottle you bring to our next meeting, you’ll receive a raffle ticket to be entered for a prize!
3. Volunteer to join a group of interested members to continue our economic activism. Use the contact form on our website to indicate your interest! What’s hoped for is research to keep us informed about boycott and divestment campaigns; recommendations for actions for collective protest, affirmation, or aid; and education for all of us in how we can productively engage in economic activism.

Where can we get more information?

This is a beginning list of resources that may be helpful in understanding, acting on, and advancing economic activism; you can find more on the More Actions page on our website.

• Merchants and Makers: Offers a directory of small, local makers in West Michigan, as well as occasional events for in-person purchased.
• Local First West Michigan: This Facebook page includes information about the impact of buying local, as well as celebrating local ownership.
• Black Out the System: Economic blackouts, Divestment Guide, Building Mutual Aid Networks, and more.
• The Peoples Union USA: Grassroots economic activist group; blackouts.
• Goods Unite Us: The website and app provide Information on the politics of companies and brands.
• Becoming Minimalist: Informative and inspiring articles about how to focus on quality of life and own fewer possessions.
• Open Secrets: A trusted source for data and analysis about money (including dark money) in American politics, including both the politicians receiving funds and the PACs using money as influence.

Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash