Beyond the Boycott . . . Part 1

An opportunity to reimagine our world

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Hello dear friends and curious readers,

I have a confession to make. Each time I see a post or letter reminding me of the upcoming economic boycott in response to the rollback on DEI policies, I cringe a bit inside. Not because I don’t support it—I do. But because it’s one day of action, and then what? One big splash, and we wade right back into the same waters, buying our goods and services from the same sharks that are eating this country alive?

Boycotts send a message. They remind the billionaires, CEOs, and shareholders that we, the consumers, hold the purse strings. That their power depends on our willingness to buy what they are selling. And for a moment, it feels like we have some control over what’s happening to us. Yet we risk mistaking that moment for meaningful change—letting a single day of withholding our dollars be enough.

Because while we take this stand, small businesses, independent artists, and local shop owners—who are already struggling to stay afloat in a post-pandemic economy—are left navigating a system that wasn’t built for us to thrive.

Rebuilding Our World; Crystal Marie

What if, instead of a single-day boycott, we saw this as a turning point? A moment to begin divesting—not just for a single day, but for good—from corporations that don’t see us as anything more than profit margins. Those companies are proving that their loyalties don’t lie with we the people. They’ll change their policies on a dime, regardless of how many of us are hurt in the process, kowtowing to the current administration with more concern for their own survival than ours.

What if we built something new? A shift in where we spend our money is a shift in power, yes, but also a shift that reminds us what we actually care about.

Instead of feeding the systems that exploit and divide, we have the power and the opportunity to create new ecosystems that nourish and help individuals, families, and communities thrive. As the old adage goes, a chain is only as good as its weakest link—we are that chain. We are the safety net we need to survive.

So yes, let’s boycott on February 28th. But let it be an opportunity to reimagine the world we want to live in and begin to build toward the thing we truly want to be a part of. Seek out local shops, online artists and artisans, small businesses—those whose work enriches our communities rather than extracts from them.

It may not be the easy choice. But real change never is.

Let this day be a day to remember who we really are. We really do hold the power to rebuild a better world. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

We, the People.

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Part 2 is still forming, I want to share how I’ve been divesting in corporations like Amazon and include some suggestions for how to replace the goods and services we rely on in a way that has the biggest impact for individuals and our communities—whether they are the communities outside our front door or somewhere on the other side of the globe.

I’d love to hear from you as well. Leave a comment with your own ideas and suggestions.

With love and gratitude,
Crystal Marie