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Black Buying Black Out: Blacks and Non-Black Supporters of Reparations for Slavery and Its Effects Will Not Spend Money on Sat. Dec. 24th

Throughout the nation, on December 24th (Christmas Eve) people who support Reparations for slavery will move their Christmas shopping dollars from mainstream stores and venues to buy from Black businesses according to attorney Barbara Ratliff. The nationwide "Black Buying Blackout" was launched Christmas 2004 to demonstrate support for the struggle for reparations and to create pressure on the political-economic system by demonstrating the impact of Blacks' $700 billion-a-year buying power. For Christmas 2006, the BlackOut will shift to a Boycott -- Nov. 24-Dec 24.

Ratliff, a Yale Law School graduate, represents Chester Hurdle, the son of an African American slave in his lawsuit against various corporations who benefited from slavery. The Hurdle case is one of eight Reparations cases from around the country that were organized by Deadria Farmer-Paellmann and have been consolidated on appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago.

"Reparations are for neglect after Emancipation in 1865 and for legal segregation until 1965," says Ratliff. She claims, "Slavery affects institutions today. Blacks and Whites, suffer from the 'habit of racism,' practiced for 400 years, or the 'Battered Race Syndrome: The Habit of Racism' [the title of her forthcoming book], so that the racism that confronts Blacks today is not so much from White individuals as it is from America's institutions -- employment, business, housing, education, criminal justice, and health/environment -- where Blacks trail in every instance. Often, racism is unconscious and unintentional."

Black buyers are being urged not to spend money on Saturday, December 24th, in stores, restaurants, movies, gas stations, etc. unless they are owned by Black people. In each community, people will encourage their relatives, friends, beauty salons, barbershops, churches and supportive Whites to support the BlackOut and spread the word by Internet, flyers, radio and TV.

The BlackOut is supported by lawyers Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, Malik Shabazz, J. Otis Cochran and Kwaku Duren; Bennett J. Johnson of the National Black Political Convention; Dr. David Horne, professor at Cal State Northridge, the NDABA [Great Sit Down] (a confederation of 15 organizations, including Nation of Islam, National Black United Front, National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America/N'COBRA, Republic of New Africa, New Black Panther Party, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Shrine of the Black Madonna, Jericho Movement, Global African Congress, Fernwood United Methodist Church, Trinity United Church of Christ), Black Lawyers for Justice, and the Lost-Found Nation of Islam and many more.

Distributed by Market Wire