Boycott Initiated: Why the Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust Is Withdrawing Support from Shaboozey

The Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust has formally initiated a boycott of Shaboozey following public statements that contributed to the erasure of Freedmen history in the United States.

This decision was not made lightly, nor is it rooted in personal animus, politics, or artistic disagreement. It is grounded in status protection, historical accuracy, and the Trust’s duty to correct narratives that replace or obscure the foundational role of Freedmen in building this country.

Why This Matters

Freedmen are not immigrants.

Freedmen ancestors were subjected to U.S. chattel slavery and provided forced, unpaid labor that built the agricultural, economic, and infrastructural foundation of the United States before modern immigration pathways existed.

Public claims that frame the building of America primarily or exclusively through immigration narratives—especially when made during nationally broadcast moments and amplified during Black History Month—result in status substitution. Even when followed by generalized acknowledgments of “Black people,” such framing fails to correct the specific historical displacement of Freedmen.

Recognition must be accurate, not symbolic.

Intent does not override impact.

Our Enforcement Position

The Trust issued formal notices seeking correction and clarity. While a follow-up statement was later made, it relied on broad racial recognition rather than addressing the distinct legal and historical status of Freedmen. As a result, the original substitution remains unresolved.

The Trust therefore exercised its institutional authority to take corrective action through economic non-participation.

Scope of the Boycott

Effective immediately:

• The Trust will boycott Shaboozey’s music, performances, merchandise, and affiliated ventures.

• Any sponsors, brands, or corporate partners that continue to support or promote him will be included in the boycott.

• Artists, producers, collaborators, and industry professionals who choose to work with him during this period will also be subject to boycott.

This is not retaliation.

It is accountability through consumer choice.

What This Is — and Is Not

This boycott is:

• A status-correction action

• A demand for historical accuracy

• A refusal to subsidize narratives that erase Freedmen

This boycott is not:

• An attack on immigrants

• A denial of immigrant contributions

• A rejection of Black achievement broadly

Recognition of immigrant sacrifice must be additive, not replacing. Black History Month must not become a vehicle for rewriting bondage-based history.

Path to Resolution

The Trust remains open to resolution. A clear, factual acknowledgment that:

• Freedmen were not immigrants, and

• Their forced labor predates and underwrites U.S. development,

would constitute meaningful correction.

Until then, the boycott stands.

Closing

Freedmen history is not optional context.

It is the foundation.

When culture erases that truth, institutions must respond.