- Safiu Kehinde
The United States Black American citizens are set commence boycott of African businesses across America.
This was triggered by an African American TikToker simply identified as Shaya Shelf.
Shaya had in a post on her TikTok handle on Sunday called for the boycott of all African hair saloon, restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses owned by Africans starting from the 1st of August.
The TikToker spearheaded the planned boycott with an ongoing online campaign under the #ShayaShelf in an effort to mobilise more African Americans ahead of the boycott.
Shea had in the post accused African businessowners, especially the hairstylists of disrespecting and mistreating black Americans.
She called on black Americans to braid their own hair and support small businesses own by fellow black Americans.
“Black Americans, come here, come here. This is a message for y’all, especially my Black American women. Come here, listen. I think it’s time for us to show how strong and how powerful the Black American dollar is, since they don’t believe us. I think it’s time to boycott the braiding shops.
“That’s what I think it’s time to do. Time to boycott the braiding shops. Stop going. We know how to braid. Let’s braid our own hair, support our own small businesses. Stop going to the braid shops. Teach them how to have some f**king respect because they have none. Black American power, Black American dollar. They need us. We don’t need them. Remember that. Do I wish there could be unity in a community? Abso-f**king-lutely. But that ain’t going to happen until they give us our f**king respect, and they’ve never done it. So f**k all that, boycott time.”
“No more African braid shops. It’s time to boycott the African braid shops. Stop going. Let’s show them how powerful our Black American dollar is since they think we can’t control this f**king narrative. Since they think we got everything. Let’s show them how much we really f**king got. Black American power. Again, I’m going to keep saying it. Like, follow, share, comment below. What you think?” Shea said.
Also supporting the boycott was another TikToker, @ray.bandz4, who called for a complete total blackout on Africans beyond August.
“The ones that pay your bills. Because we black them out, I want to see how many white people are going to support y’all, right? I want to see how many of y’all businesses really want to be able to stay afloat month after month of Black people not supporting you, right? Like, let’s really be about it. So in support of Shaya’s shelf, I am even pushing past August, but it starts August 1st, OK? Complete, total blackout on Africans, period, okay? Let them know what time it is.” She said.
According to report, the movement, which is already gaining traction across various social platforms, stemmed from deeply felt experiences shared by some Black American women who describe encountering poor customer service, perceived exploitation, and a lack of reciprocal respect from certain African immigrant-owned businesses.
However, the campaign had also come under criticism by some members of the black community who labelled the movement as self-hatred.
Condemning the planned boycott is an African American, Keyana Lawson, who in a post on her TikTok slammed the campaigners of not making similar plan against the white, Hispanic, and other businessowners from other races who had equally treated black Americans with disrespect.
“I am so confused. Why am I seeing that on August 1st, specific African-Americans have planned a protest against African businesses from African restaurants to African braiding, and anything that is African-owned. They have started a campaign. What is wrong with us that it makes sense to boycott African businesses because you may have had bad experience with African businesses? You’ve also had bad experiences with the Asian business. You’ve had bad experience with the white business. You’ve had bad experience with Hispanic business and so on.
“Why don’t you use your energy for those businesses that are continuously coming into our communities and disrespect us? But you want to start a war, continue a beef with Africans?
“Like it didn’t make sense! We are all one. Sure we can distinguish ourselves as African American or African. But they look at us all the same. They don’t look at African and say oh you’re African!
“They don’t look at me as an African American and say on she’s African American! No, she’s a nigger. They are all the same.
“So, what sense does it make that we are boycotting our own people? Sometimes we can even be our own worst enemy.
“They don’t even need to do anything to divide us. There is nothing more they need to do. We can complete the mission ourselves- the self-hate. That is what it is, self-hate!” Keyana said.
Other members of the American black community have also faulted the campaign which, according to reports, risks fracturing a community facing pervasive external anti-Blackness from colonizers and their minions.