Companies always seem to come out from hibernation in the month of February and show their “support” for black history month.
However, their support doesn’t necessarily include things that actually help the black community like donations to support black causes or equality movements. Companies like Target, Abercrombie, and Hollister profit off these memorial moments by creating merchandise following the theme of the month.
Some people see this as supporting the month. However, I view it as negative capitalism because when these large companies create this merchandise strictly during the month of February, the target audience is the black community. With t-shirts that say things like “I overcame the struggle” or “black lives matter” these companies are profiting off of the struggles and oppression of black people.
February is also a time where small black businesses work to create merchandise and it is nearly impossible for them to compete with these big brands and their large manufacturing scale and low prices. I personally do not feel like we should be applauding this behavior especially because it is so seasonal.
Maybe it would be a different conversation if these big brands were consistent about wanting to support throughout the entire year, but they are not. We see this same trend during the LGBTQ+ pride month in which these same companies profit off of the oppression and struggle of a group of people by creating merch, not to support causes, but to make a quick profit.
Though an ongoing issue, not all retail companies follow this trend. Some companies do things that I view as real support, like a percentage of sales going towards black causes or partnering with black-owned companies in creating merchandise in which both companies profit, and the small business gets the exposure.
I do find it interesting that these companies are selective with their oppression profit. For example, I never see t-shirts for Native American struggles during their days of remembrance, or even for Hispanic Heritage Month I never see shirts representing these minority groups.
I try to be conscious of these initiatives when I see them because companies like Abercrombie have so many customers, they do not need my business to stay afloat so by purchasing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt from them I would be doing myself and the black community a disservice by contributing to the mass capitalization of the black struggle. Instead, I make an effort to find merchandise from small minority-owned businesses that are better for the environment, economy and community.
