‘They Did This on Purpose!’: Publix Faces Boycott After Pulling Funds from Black Festival, Forcing Organizers to Take Drastic Measures — and Some Blame Trump
Publix is facing mounting backlash and boycott calls after withdrawing as the exclusive sponsor for Black Book Bash in Jacksonville just days before the event. The three-day festival, set for Oct. 3–5 at the Hyatt Regency, is a celebration of Black literature and culture where readers can meet authors, shop from Black-owned businesses, and visit vendors and bookstores. Publix had been positioned as the title sponsor, but organizers say the company abruptly pulled out, citing the “political climate.” Casey Kelley is one of the organizers of the Black Book Bash in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photos: Instagram/Getty Images) Organizers stressed the festival would go on regardless. “We didn’t flinch. We doubled down. When folks pull out, the community pulls up — and y’all have shown out,” organizers announced in a statement on Instagram. “Black Book Bash was built by us, for us. The support, the shares, the donations, the love — it’s been overwhelming in the best way. If you’re just finding us, welcome to the family. If you’ve been rocking with us, thank you for riding harder than ever. This is bigger than books. This is about Black stories. Black joy. Black freedom.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Casey’s Bookshelf (@iamcaseyrkelley) The decision by Publix left many outraged online, with critics urging shoppers to take their business elsewhere. “Stop shopping at Publix. All these companies need to be starved of our dollars,” one person wrote on Threads. ‘That’s the Funniest Part!’: Gavin Newsom Wrecks Trump Aide with One Brutal Line—Now MAGA’s Scrambling to Figure Out How to ‘Stand Up and Fight’ Him On Facebook, food critic and writer Starex Smith, known as The Hungry Black Man, blasted the chain in an open letter to its leadership. He praised the cultural significance of the event, describing supermarkets as “a democratic stage where families of every stripe and income cross paths” and calling Publix’s decision “striking, even jarring.” Smith noted that Publix has a long history of political contributions, from NRA-backed candidates after Parkland, to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill sponsors, to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s PAC. He also pointed to heiress Julie Jenkins Fancelli’s $300,000 donation to help stage the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. “Against this backdrop, declining to support a Black literary conference seems less like neutrality and more like abandonment. And it leaves a bitter taste,” he wrote. Smith urged the grocer to reconsider. “There is still an opportunity to do the right thing. To recognize that supporting the Black Book Bash is not a political act, but a cultural one, an act of affirmation that echoes across American history. Reach out to the organizers. Make it right.” Other critics echoed the anger. “Be on the right side of history, or FAFO......take notes from Target…” one comment read. Back on Threads, another commenter wrote: “Publix pulled their sponsorship from Black Book Bash a week before it’s scheduled due to the current ‘volatile climate.’ Publix was the official sponsor and asked for exclusivity. As a former large event director, this request is not abnormal when we are talking SIGNIFICANT funds. To pull a TITLE sponsorship a week before the event is disgusting and vile behavior.” The pile-on was not a good look for the Florida-based grocer. “So Publix’s stance is...we don’t want to take a stance in a ‘volatile climate,’ so instead we’re going to take an awful stance? Am I getting this right?” one asked. Some pledged to stop shopping at Publix. “I just sent an email to Publix’s sponsorship and event department. I looked in my app, and as of today my family has spent over $10k at Publix, and that’s just year to date," one Instagram user wrote. "We’ve decided if they don’t come through on this commitment, ALL our future grocery business will go to Food City. I know they may not be much better behind the scenes, but our local Food City has donated to MULTIPLE local events I’ve participated in when we’ve asked them to. I’m standing with B3!!! All across social media, the tone was the same. “This country is so f--ked up. I am just now hearing about an event scheduled for next weekend in Jacksonville, Florida called Black Book Bash to celebrate black culture and storytelling," another user wrote. Publix agreed to sponsor, but insisted on being the ONLY sponsor for the event. A couple of days ago they sent an email saying they can no longer sponsor due to the ‘political climate.’ The f--k? F--k Publix. They donate to Trump and DeSantis and now f--k over the Black community. Disgusting and disrespectful!” View on Threads Some skeptics went further, accusing Publix of deliberately undermining the festival by demanding exclusivity before pulling out. “It was intentional deception to prevent them from having multiple sponsors so they’d fail, it was by design! It was cruel!” one commenter claimed. Others pointed to the lack of a signed contract as a key issue. “Unfortunately for the organization, they stated that there was not a signed contract. Once they reviewed it, they pulled out,” one person observed. Another added: “I would have still been pursuing sponsors until a contract was signed and the check cleared. I am sorry this happened to her, but this is a big and important lesson to learn. Always handle the paperwork first.” Still, many did not accept that as an excuse. “They knew exactly what they were doing!” someone wrote. "Why does it seem like they did this on purpose?" another user wrote. Publix has not publicly addressed the backlash or clarified why it withdrew, leaving the controversy to play out online as the festival prepares to welcome its guests. Publix traces its roots back to 1930, when founder George Jenkins opened his first store in Winter Haven, Florida. Over the decades, the company grew into a grocery powerhouse, with more than 1,200 locations across the Southeast and a reputation as one of the nation’s largest employee-owned companies. Its business success has always been accompanied by political engagement—sometimes through its official PAC, other times through high-profile contributions from members of the Jenkins family.
