Black Workers Need Public Employment, Not Black Capitalism
Public unionized employment is the backbone of the black middle class. Racial justice advocates should direct resources to fighting Elon Musk’s attacks on good union jobs — not toward protecting DEI initiatives focused on black entrepreneurship.
President Everett Kelley of the American Federation of Government Employees speaks at a protest against firings of federal employees during a rally to defend federal workers in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2025. (Nathan Posner / Anadolu via Getty Images)
In late January, civil rights activist Al Sharpton led one hundred members of his National Action Network in a “buy-in” at a Costco store. Their aim was to demonstrate support for the corporation’s continuation of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, which had come under broad attack by the incoming Trump administration.
It was jarring to see shopping at a major corporation portrayed as a progressive political act. Even worse, Costco was in a live contract dispute with the Teamsters union.
Since then, DEI has emerged as a focal point of anti-Trump mobilization in black political and activist circles. Calls to boycott major companies that have reneged on their DEI policies have circulated rapidly on social media and text chains. The push led to the “economic blackout” on February 28, which called on consumers to boycott major companies. While the National Action Network didn’t endorse this specific day of action, they announced plans for a DEI-related boycott to begin in April.
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