Feb. 22, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: I am acutely alarmed on many fronts by recent actions from the White House. One area that particularly appalls me is the president’s repudiation of the policy that encourages Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The government is pressuring corporations to eliminate all policies which foster DEI. The result is a dismal return to a systemic rejection of people who are “different from us”; a deepening of racism and isolation; a rejection of the melting pot which once made America truly great.
I felt helpless and hopeless in the face of this alarming change until I learned about a protest led by The Peoples Union which has spearheaded a way to wield power and influence: the power of purchase. The idea is to blackout purchases on Friday, Feb. 28. Buy nothing that day.
Refusing to purchase anything on Feb. 28 will result in an “Economic Blackout”: a signal to banks, large corporations and the government itself that We the People are displeased.
Repeat blackouts will send a strong message and deeply impress those banks and large corporations that We the People mean business.
You can learn more about “Economic Blackout” by going to https://www.newsweek.com/ will-nationwide-economic-blackout work-2030187 or jointhepeoplesunion. com (see details at bottom of linked page).
Please join me this Fridayin avoiding all purchases, especially those from Amazon and big businesses. Encourage friends and family to join you. Together we can voice our concern and begin a new dialogue. Together we have power.
NANCY LEONHARD Rockbridge County
