by: Dana Whyte
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Blackout Day 2020 is here. It's a national day where thousands of Black Americans plan to stand in solidarity about where they spend their money.
Blackout Day 2020 organizers say it’s a call for action. The goal of Blackout Day is to push politicians to end institutionalized racism in America which organizers say has led to the deaths of Black Americans.
Black people, in an effort to bring awareness to this, on Tuesday, plan to refuse spending money on anything at all. Those who do need to buy something are encouraged to only spend their money at Black-owned businesses.
Data company Nielsen says Black Americans spent more than $1 trillion on consumer goods in 2018 alone.
The history of Blackout Day stems from the year-long Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 when African Americans in Alabama refused to pay for a bus ticket until they were allowed to sit anywhere, not just the back of city buses.
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