Consumerism and African American Social Activism in the 1960s and 1970s

“Consumerism and African American Social Activism in the 1960s and 1970s” Susannah Walker, Virginia Wesleyan College • An important theme of my 2007 book, Style & Status: Selling Beauty to African American Women, 1920-1975, is the use of consumerism. In particular, I focus on how African Americans used consumer activism to forward messages about and goals for racial justice. I will use that theme as a jumping off point for a broader discussion regarding the uses and limits of consumerism as a vehicle for progressive social change.