Here’s a way you can push back against Trump’s draconian anti-immigration tactics

When I think of boycotts, my mind usually goes back to one of the most successful ones in U.S. history. The Montgomery bus boycott began 70 years ago last month after police arrested Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Black residents were so outraged that they stopped riding buses in Alabama’s capital city. They walked, carpooled, and took taxis for 381 days until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.

Much more recently, we saw political consumerism in action after ABC snatched Jimmy Kimmel’s eponymous late-night talk show off the air in the aftermath of remarks he made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Irate fans quickly responded by canceling subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. More than 400 artists signed a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union defending the freedom of speech. Less than a week later, Kimmel was back on the air.

» READ MORE: I’m going to miss shopping at Target | Jenice Armstrong

Some of us have been holding out hope for a similar result during a boycott of Target. Activists began a boycott of the retail giant a year ago when it rolled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives after the election of President Donald Trump.

Organizers of the boycott not only want the retailer to restore its DEI policies but also honor a pledge to invest in Black-owned businesses. From the beginning of 2025 through November, Target reported sharp declines in foot traffic at its stores, and the company’s stock price had plummeted by a third.

I used to love shopping at Target, but I haven’t been inside one in more than a year, and have no plans to return anytime soon.

Power concedes to market pressure, which is another way of saying “money talks.” That’s why 60 CEOs from Minnesota’s largest businesses, including Target, Best Buy, and UnitedHealth, recently penned an open letter to President Trump calling for “an immediate de-escalation of tensions” generated by the Gestapo-like tactics of masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

Granted, the letter left a lot to be desired; it was heavy on corporate speak and light on real, actionable consequences. But just about anything is better than the silence we’ve seen from certain corners of the business world about the unjustified and brutal killings of Minnesota residents Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, and Renee Good, a mother of three.

My husband and I were snowbound over the weekend and discussing the many horrible things that have been going on when he suddenly turned to me and announced, “It’s time for us to do more.” I’ve been married to my mild-mannered husband for more than 20 years, and I’ve never seen him as worked up about the state of affairs in America as he is right now.

We talked a bit more on that snowy afternoon before I wandered off to another part of the house, leaving him alone in his office, where he penned an email letter to our friends and relatives with the header, “What can we do to save our nation?” He went on to propose that everyone on his mailing list cancel their various subscription and streaming services, and inform providers that they would not be renewed until their CEOs take public stands against Trump’s draconian anti-immigration activities.

It’s an intriguing idea. Who doesn’t love the convenience of such services as Amazon Prime and Netflix? The average American has around five subscriptions and spends roughly $1,000 a year on them, according to CNET. When my husband and I tallied up ours, I was startled to discover that we had even more than that.

But over the last several days, we’ve been pruning our list of subscription and streaming services way back. Altogether, we have cut 12 services, including HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, among others, for a cost savings of $179 a month.

This is just a first step.

This is just a first step for us. We may add more down the road. My husband is in the process of notifying each company why we have decided to cut their services and what it will take to regain our business.

Yes, it’s a small statement, but we felt we had to say something. After all, “money talks.”