Stevie Wonder hit a note heard around the country when he announced on July 17, four days after George Zimmerman was found not guilty of any crime after shooting and killing unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, that he would boycott the state of Florida until its “Stand Your Ground” law was repealed.
“And I know I’m not everybody; I’m just one person. I’m a human being. But from the gift that God has given me, and whatever I mean, I’ve decided today that until the Stand Your Ground law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again,” he announced to a roaring crowd during a concert in Quebec City.
What followed was a flurry of allegations, proven later to be false, that other celebrities—from Jay Z to Justin Timberlake, Madonna and Mary J. Blige—were following suit. Also tuned in to Wonder’s boycott declaration were a host of activists and organizations, like Black self-determination group December 12th Movement, who have pledged similar courses of action.
What would happen, though, if the rest of the country decided to boycott Florida as a means of pressuring the Sunshine State to repeal its Stand Your Ground law? If the underlying goal of this abstinence is also to “punish” Floridians, which ones would be hit the hardest?
Florida’s tourism industry attracted an estimated 87.3 million travelers and boosted the economy by approximately $67 billion in 2011, according to the state website. Florida Black Chamber of Commerce President Eugene Franklin says the Black community’s dependence on this business sector would leave them particularly vulnerable if a national boycott were to take place, especially for a demographic that already faces a statewide rate of 15 percent unemployment.
“As president, I do not support a boycott,” said Franklin, who has served as president for four years and has worked in varying capacities for the National Black Chamber of Commerce since 1999. “We’re struggling enough with unemployment. We’re trying to improve and increase entrepreneurship.”
Franklin instead advocates increased political involvement as a means of bringing about legislative change. “Yes, it was a tragedy, but there are other methods that can be used instead of shotgunning,” he said. “The approach has to be done at the ballot box. It’s a political issue that should be met politically.” He suggested, for example, that activists urge members of the Black community who only vote during the presidential election to participate in midterm elections as well.
Sonja Griffin Evans is the owner of Gumbo Art Gallery, a multicultural space and studio in Pensacola, Fla., which has in the past been dubbed “the Harlem of the South.” Evans’ gallery is four years old, and she echoed Franklin’s statement about the dependence of Black-owned businesses on Black tourism.
“My take on it is if you do a boycott as a whole, normally, the people who are on the lower end [of the] scale will be affected the most, and that’s your small and minority businesses,” said the 44-year-old South Carolina native.
Evans also related Wonder’s call to boycott to more historical ones. She noted differences in political infrastructures, which played a key role in the success of other boycotts.
“Back in the day, when you had the Civil Rights Movement and boycotts, what made those so strong and effective is that we had an infrastructure and a base. We don’t have that anymore,” she said.
Like Franklin, Evans offered an alternative means of protesting, one that would show resistance but still empower Black-owned businesses in Florida.
“When you come here, seek out those businesses,” she said. “That’s how you can truly make a difference in these communities so that they can all have a voice and be effective as one.”
