Ring in the holidays? Is that the term? Well, whatever it is, I want to take this opportunity to talk with you about the upcoming 6 weeks, and how important we can make them when it comes to economic development in Indian Country.During the holidays we spend billions of dollars on gifts and decor. A lot of that money goes to huge companies (Walmart and Apple come to mind). A lot of these huge companies outsource their jobs, and little of that money actually trickles down to the workers who produce the items. Several companies employ sweatshops (such as Nike, click here for a partial listing of companies down with sweatshoppin').
We have buying power. We have the power, with the money we spend, to see change here in our local economies, and to see change worldwide.
That's why I'm reaching out to you guys to help me in my campaign to BUY NATIVE this holiday season. The BUY NATIVE campaign will officially launch on Monday, November 19, but I wanted to put the idea in your head now, in the days leading up to the 19th.
We're having a BUY NATIVE logo being created as we speak by DGTL/NVJO Victor Pascual that will be used to link a network of Native-run businesses. We'll be creating this network of Native artists, and Native-owned and operated businesses so that you can put your money where your heart is (in Indian Country, of course!), and the first post launching on Monday will ask you all to share your favorite Native-run places to shop (artists sites, physical stores, or online sites). So start brainstorming now! The posts after that will be filled with Holiday Gift Guides for tiny tots to grandpas and everyone in between. I want to create a sense of community this holiday season, and to bring meaning and story back into the gifts we buy for one another.
Again, the ultimate idea is to get the maximum amount of the money you're going to spend anyways on gifts and decor, and put that money back into Indian Country and back into boosting the American economic situation.
Cheers to a very Native holiday season!