In the week leading up to Feb. 28, 2025, millions of Americans opened their social media feeds
to find fiery infographics proclaiming an imminent nationwide economic blackout. The main
targets—Walmart, Amazon, fast food and chain stores and, most notably, Target.
Target had recently found themselves in hot water following their backsliding on policies meant
to promote diverse branding in their shelves. This focused blackout was part of a wider
divestment in Target that many Black Americans found themselves participating in, and as a
result of this one day the company reportedly lost about $12.4 billion in market value and
greeted 11% fewer customers compared with previous Fridays.
This is but one example of a wave of activist action and thinking that has proliferated across the
internet following major social and political upsets. And while the digital world has been pivotal
in contemporary liberation struggles, the disparate results of these movements beg one critical
question: what exactly does it take to make a change?
Ja’kobe Bibbs, president of the University of Alabama’s NAACP and sophomore majoring in
political science and African American studies, began his journey with activism out of necessity.
“I noticed a lack of activism and awareness on campus,” he said. “And I was brainstorming ideas
and seeing what I could join, and I was reading that the NAACP was on campus, but it wasn’t
anymore.” Thus began his efforts to reinstate the organization and his eventual rise to presidency.
For him, one of the most important aspects of advocacy is personalization. “Activism looks
different for everyone, and activism is different in different spaces.” Whether picketing for
marriage equality or rallying for prison reform, what matters is the intention behind the action.
“Inspiring hope is one of them, but [also] making sure that my impact is tangible and
feasible…and leaving the spaces I’m in in a greater state than when I came in.”
And these foundational values lead inevitably to concrete action, something that Ashton Javine,
freshman majoring in biology and economics and member of the Leftist Collective at UA
understands well.
“Activism, when people talk about it, they mainly talk about the people in the streets and the
actual action,” he said. “And while that is a very important aspect of it, there’s a lot of logistical
planning that goes into this that people don’t talk about, and I feel like it’s important to know
about going into it.”
More than the powerful and sensational images often circulated today, Javine says activism takes
prolonged and deliberate effort. He pointed to the Montgomery Bus Boycotts as a shining
example. “If I remember correctly, it lasted 355 days. They just kind of gloss over that detail
when they talk about it, so you just kind of make it seem like everyone went and stopped riding
the bus for three weeks…but no, it took a full year.”
So while a striking and encouraging result for many seeking social justice, Target’s market value
decline is representative of a small step in a much longer battle for Javine. “I think that while it’s
showing early signs of success, I think that it’s too early to call it.”
It is largely a heritage of activism which drives Kailan Stoves, a freshman majoring in business
administration. “Growing up, a lot of people in my family were involved in the Civil Rights
Movement,” she said, mentioning specifically her grandmother who participated in the
Birmingham Children’s March. Given her background, she sees two major factors playing a role
in the success of an activist movement: resistance and authenticity.
“There’s a way to use force without using violence,” she said. “Don’t run—fight back. And even
if you do run, make a plan, come back, you know. Help your community.” However, this
continuous defiance amounts to very little without genuine concern.
“I feel like most forms of social media activism are performative. Most of them are spewing out
information from other people. The genuine people don’t really get a lot of traction, and the
people that are spewing out the most extreme rhetoric gain traction.”
But this does not have to bode ill for the future of activism as a whole. As Stoves put it, “If you
want to get into activism, start in small ways. You don’t have to be out there protesting, you can
just start by eating cleaner, don’t litter—anything to help whatever you believe in.”
