User:Henny2shoes/Consumerism

Black Consumerism
The discussion of consumerism is a major topic in the United States and it has impacted how Americans live today. Through laws, organizations, and protests our society has shaped up to be one that relies a lot on consumerism as a whole; but the impacts of consumerism on a group of people has also been used as a political tool . Specifically, the effects of racial discrimination and resulting activism have shaped how African-Americans purchase and deal with businesses in the United States. African-Americans in the United States have been one of the most marginalized groups and the chance of getting equality was challenging but, consumerism gave them a chance to express their desires and exert economic pressure. The consumerism post-war era helped African Americans use it as a political tool, it gave them a chance to assert themselves to the ones in power. But the voice these African-Americans earned did not come easy at all, they faced struggles and obstacles. Around the time of the consumerism post-war era, Black Americans displayed their dissatisfaction with the way they were treated through boycotts and protests.

African-Americans boycotted some retailers but also promoted others due to the fact it could gain them important positions in the marketplace. During the post-war era, these boycotts were required because of the effects of the great depression and the world war. Due to these effects, the unemployment of African-Americans rose which caused movements like the "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work" movement which was created in response to Jim Crow laws that restricted Africans-Americans from purchasing goods. Movements like the "Don't Buy Where you Can't Work", put pressure on white businesses to hire Black workers if they wanted money from the black community. This movement played a large role due to the fact these business owners realized the purchasing power of African-Americans. These movements were able to spread to cities like Baltimore, Washington, Newark, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Richmond. One thing Africans-Americans knew they had was the impact of their purchasing power throughout the country. The goal of these movements was to make white business owners realize the power they had. This potential power was going to send these profits into Black neighborhoods rather than pulling consumer dollars out of their communities. African-Americans were able to use these strategies to get Black people involved in upwardly-mobile jobs such as store clerks rather than less important jobs such as janitors. Historian Lizabeth Cohen focuses on African-American consumer activism throughout the twentieth century in her book A Consumers' republic.

With the history of Black consumerism, brands have noticed the type of power African-Americans carry since the times of protesting “Don’t shop where you can’t work” until the present day. The power has grown even more with the influence of African-Americans on social media which influences other people's choices on what they consume. With African-Americans spending about $1.2 trillion brands are now forced to focus on the African-American people. The impact African-Americans have had on the consumer market grows due to the fact that African-Americans are mainstream in the market. It is proven in the report, “It’s in the Bag” which focuses on how African-Americans have become an important aspect of the U.S economy due to the way they spend money, media engagement, and how they live. But that doesn’t stop brands from stoping the mistreatment. Brands like Gucci who sold a Black face sweater and Wendy's co-opting “Black” language. The mistreatment continues even though African-Americans are the second largest purchasing group in the USA. With society following most African-Americans trends, brands are failing to reach them purposefully by decreasing advertisements to the Black community. There has been a precedent set from the consumer era that continues this type of treatment towards African-Americans. But the positive facts that come out from the past and future are the fact businesses have caught the wind of the influence and power African-Americans have which makes these companies include their demographic when planning. We have seen social issues be apart of a regular business plan which is very important to a Black consumer, Huff Post reported that 42% of Black consumers required businesses to incorporate social causes into their business plan which is 16% more than the general population. Because of their history, there are a lot inclusive ideas African-Americans require businesses to implement which, can be a lot. But according to “How Blacks use Consumption”, consumption creates an identity for African-Americans especially, in fashion. Consumption has been away for African-Americans to be expressive and distance themselves from other aspects of life in the United States. African-American consumption has been a way for them to express themselves as evident through the importance of boycotts and social trends.