By Darius Spearman (africanelements)

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Black Consumer Power: The $1.8T Economic Lever

The NAACP’s 2025 Black Consumer Advisory isn’t just a list—it’s a seismic economic manifesto. Black purchasing power now roars at $1.8 trillion annually, with projections hitting $2 trillion by 2030 (Scripps News). This advisory channels financial heft toward corporations walking their DEI talk while sidelining backtrackers.

Imagine wallets as wrecking balls. The NAACP urges deliberate spending to collapse systemic barriers like food deserts and credit gaps. Dark Olive Green firms—Delta, Apple, and Costco—get greenlights. Meanwhile, Walmart and McDonald’s face red flags for axing DEI pledges. This isn’t charity. It’s capitalism with a justice algorithm (NAACP Press Release).

Corporate DEI: Who’s In vs Who’s Out

Meta’s DEI exit—“legal concerns”—contrasts sharply with Apple’s rejection of anti-DEI shareholder proposals. The divide deepens: while Ben & Jerry’s expands supplier diversity, Target slashes community investments. These corporate choices ripple through Black professionals and HBCUs that rely on DEI pipelines and funding (NAACP Campaign Page).

Consider the human code behind these decisions. Rollbacks kill leadership pathways for Black managers and contracts for Black-owned firms. Yet proactive companies prove DEI isn’t optional—it’s survival mode for relevance in a diversifying economy. Investors now parse DEI metrics like quarterly earnings reports. The market speaks: equitable practices equal endurance (NAACP Advisory PDF).

Five Steps To Economic Justice

The advisory’s playbook operates like an economic judo flip. First, it demands intentional spending at DEI-aligned businesses like Apple over Amazon. Second, it pressures backtrackers through public accountability campaigns. Third, it funnels capital to Black-owned enterprises, which reinvest 70% more in their communities (URL Media).

Community organizers liken this to rewriting the rules mid-game. Steps four and five target policy reforms and real-time corporate monitoring. The goal? Make DEI compliance table stakes for market access. Every dollar becomes a ballot cast for equity. Every purchase signals a demand for systemic change (NAACP Press Release).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darius Spearman has been a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College since 2007. He is the author of several books, including Between The Color Lines: A History of African Americans on the California Frontier Through 1890. You can visit Darius online at africanelements.org.