Why Some Immigrant Store Owners Are Facing a Modern Civil Rights Boycott
For decades, immigrant business owners—predominantly of East and South Asian descent—have occupied commercial spaces in historically Black neighborhoods, generating millions in revenue from a consumer base that simultaneously feels watched, distrusted, and locked out of building its own local wealth. Now, the Black internet says enough is enough.
Believe it or not, calls to boycott immigrant-owned businesses are gaining momentum online. “I am so excited for this national boycott,” The Rich Benbo said on TikTok. “I really hope that it’s being taken seriously, because I’ve been doing this. Some of us have always walked the walk, talked the talk.”
In her post, the TikToker explained that she’s always been cognizant of where she spends her Black dollars and offered to share resources on where to buy Black, but ultimately “wished we didn’t have to come back here. […] This is long overdue. I wish that it didn’t take a killing or something negative to happen for us to start adopting this.”
The Asian-owned convenience store belonging to Rick Chow was vandalized and looted in South Carolina, the New York Times reported, after he chased, shot, and killed 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton in May 2023. While neighboring storefronts remain untouched, communities online are calling for a different type of warfare: withholding their hard-earned money.
“They don’t respect Black people. It is what it is,” Rich Benbo added, and the support on social media was flooded with similar takes. One account celebrated two Asian-owned nail salons being “empty AF” after allegations of discrimination.
The resentment may seem sudden, but the fuse was lit decades ago. To understand the roots of this economic fracture, you have to trace the line back to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Passed at the height of the Civil Rights Movement—and heavily supported by Black activists who fought to dismantle racial discrimination—this legislation opened America’s doors to an unprecedented influx of immigrants from Asia.
While historical redlining and discriminatory lending practices starved Black entrepreneurs of the capital, credit and bank loans needed to rebuild their own neighborhoods, newly arrived Asian immigrants pooled large sums of cash to rapidly purchase commercial real estate.
Armed with this collaborative capital, they set up shop in economically marginalized Black neighborhoods where property was cheap but consumer demand was high.
Now, the Black internet is driving a unified, nationwide boycott that aims to permanently defund the businesses they say fail to protect their patrons. From local outrage on a Columbia, South Carolina, street corner has mutated across TikTok, X, and Instagram as Black organizers urge communities to completely bypass immigrant-owned storefronts.
If the community’s early boycotts were fueled by quiet resolve, a clip of an Asian man triple-dog daring Black people to boycott Asian-owned businesses just resurfaced, turning determination into pure, unadulterated fury for many.
“I love when the Black community says, ‘Let’s boycott Asian businesses.’ Please do,” he said sarcastically in the video, which Pastor Jamal Bryant also shared on Instagram. “We’ll get rid of the Chinese takeout, the dry cleaners […] Let’s get rid of the liquor stores as well. Get rid of the Jordans you guys wear, the Nikes you wear, the shower caps, the Hondas.”
He added: “You guys want us to leave the neighborhood so bad. […] We have our own Chinatown […] You think we really need you guys to make money? You’re being out work by immigrants who barely speak English, and you’re not embarrassed.”
Instead of taking offense, one Black woman on TikTok found his vitriol motivating.
“And just like that, he gave me the push I needed to leave Asian nail shops behind, and find me a Black-owned nail shop,” Tabitha Speaks said on TikTok. “I found one—it took a simple Google search.”
thaSpeaksBlack businesses are now capitalizing off the movement more than ever. On X, tweets sharing names and addresses of Black-owned beauty supply stores, Black nail techs and Black-owned stores have increased.
