Download Litany #ACalltoResist – http://kineticslive.wpengine.com/2014/11/acalltoresist-sunday/
The #HandsUpDon’tSpend Movement Is Not
For The Street But For the Wallet!
Dr. Jamal Bryant and the Empowerment Movement call for National Economic Mobilization.
Baltimore, MD, November 27, 2014 – Thanksgiving Day is a day to give thanks for God’s blessings and family. However, this Thanksgiving the nation is divided because many communities are hurting and morally outraged over the injustice of the Darren Wilson verdict. Wilson is the officer who fatally wounded Ferguson, Missouri teen, Michael Brown.
Prompted by Brown’s death, Ferguson residents took to the streets for well over 100 days to protest a number of systemic issues, only to have their cry for justice and healing go unanswered. With over 150 marches, sit-ins and other acts of non-violent civil disobedience rallies in small mid-western cities like Kalamazoo, Michigan to major cities like Baltimore, Maryland, Chicago, Illinois and New York City, New York, people continue to react to injustice. Still today, diverse people of color continue to unite together in nearly 40 states demanding change.
Monday, November 24, Dr. Jamal Bryant announced the kick-off of the #HandsUpDon’tSpend campaign, and since then Americans across the country have joined together in support of the economic mobilization campaign. People have come to realize that they must upset the status quo because it is no longer tolerable or acceptable in our country! With income inequality at its highest levels and corporate profits reaching record levels, the majority of American families are working harder for less.
“Considering that Blacks spend over a trillion dollars annually, and we only have $4.7 billion in assets, this is the true definition of insanity. We can no longer continue to do the same thing and expect a different result,” says Dr. Jamal Bryant.
Here’s what the #HandsUpDon’tSpend economic mobilization plane wants you to do: Refrain from shopping on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
Instead:
1. Patronize Black-owned businesses. You will be recycling dollars within our communities which will help improve and rebuild our neighbourhoods.
(If you’re looking for a Black-owned business or service in a specific neighbourhood, go online and enter the words Support Black Owned directory (SBO) in the search engine, Find a Business today!)
2. Open an account with a Black-owned bank. Black banks are just as stable as White banks. Your money is federally insured, and your support helps the whole community
3. On Black Friday, participate in a Walmart Protest in your area. This Thanksgiving, far too many Walmart workers are unable to provide dinner for their families. In fact, feeding their families is a problem year round The Walton-owned chain manipulates worker’s hours and pay thereby leaving many in poverty. Surprisingly, most workers make less than $25,000 a year! Wal-Mart made $17 billion in profits last year, with reports that its CEO Mike Duke’s 2012 pay of $23.2 million was 1,034 times more than the company’s average worker. Find a Black Friday Walmart Protest in your area. http://Blackfridayprotest.org/actions
People in power and wealthy institutions across the country are creating vast injustices in our communities. Over the next few days, Dr. Bryant and the Empowerment Movement encourage you and your family to stand up for change by using the power of the almighty dollar — #HandsUpDon’tSpend!
*Friday, November 28 Dr. Jamal Bryant will be protesting on Black Friday with the Walmart workers in Chicago at 9am CST.
###
For media and press interviews with Dr. Jamal Bryant contact: Nicole Kirby, Public Relations 301.440.6542 or nkirby@empowermenttemple.org
Jamye Wooten is the founder and publisher of KineticsLive.com ; a faith-rooted organizer that has documented social movements from across the United States, United Kingdom and Africa. He is the former program director of the Collective Banking Group, Inc. (CBG), a Christian ministry that draws together leaders from the faith, business, and public service sectors to develop and enhance economic empowerment strategies for the African American community.
