What Is the Latino Freeze Movement? A New Boycott Putting Power in Latino Wallets
Protesting with your wallet is a popular tactic for people who want to stand up against what they see as injustices. As more companies roll back or eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, consumers are planning how to fight back with their money. This brings us to the Latino Freeze Movement, an initiative that encourages people to use their wallets to send a message.
The Latino Freeze Movement is calling on Latino people to use the power of the wallet
The Latino Freeze Movement, created by Dr. Michael Galvez, calls on the Latino community to unite and create a collective impact. The idea is to be more mindful of how you spend your money and where you spend your money. Specifically, the movement is calling on the U.S. Latino community, the fifth largest GDP in the world with $3.7 trillion, to avoid stores that do not align with our values.
Now, the movement’s creator is making it clear that this is not a total stop to spending money. We need to continue to pay expenses like taxes, food, medicine, rent, mortgages, etc. However, what the founder is urging is to direct money toward businesses that support the Latino community.
“The Latino Freeze Movement is a grassroots movement founded in 2025,” reads the Latino Freeze Movement website. “The movement is committed to showing the value that Latinos, other minorities, and allies have in the United States.”
The movement has more than 3,000 followers on Instagram, including actor George Lopez and journalist Maria Hinojosa.
Why is this movement happening and growing?
Latinos have become a major economic power in the U.S. Over the years, they have been the fastest-growing demographic in the American population. Latinas are also the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs creating small businesses across the country. Yet, recent political rhetoric and actions directly impact our neighbors, family, and friends.
Dolores Huerta, the famous civil rights advocate, said it so succinctly in a recent interview talking about the power of boycotts.
“If you don’t respect our community, then you shouldn’t have our dollars,” Huerta said.
Huerta spent years organizing farm workers in California and pushing for boycotts that would benefit them. During the Delano Grape Strike, Huerta was instrumental in helping facilitate strikes and boycotts that would benefit farm workers. The strike required massive organizing and unification, as both Filipino and Mexican farm workers had to work together. The companies and businesses that owned the fields worked to cause division to break the strike but failed.
At the end of the boycott, 10,000 farm workers’ lives were improved when companies signed new contracts with newly unionized farm workers. The new agreements included timed pay increases, health benefits, and other benefits to bring respect and humane conditions to farm workers.
The Latino Freeze Movement is another iteration of our community working together to push for better conditions for the most vulnerable among us. With mass raids, deportations, and intentional silencing of our community, Dr. Galvez is calling for unification.
If you want to see the list of companies to support and the companies to avoid, visit the Latino Freeze Movement website.
