Health fundraiser for leader of February’s 24-hour Economic Blackout surpasses goal

A viral post on social media has raised $100,779, surpassing a goal of $50,000 for John Schwarz, who was behind the viral 24-hour Economic Blackout in February.

The donations follow a post that he put up two days ago seeking donations on his Instagram and TikTok account, “theonecalledjai” to pay for hospital procedures stemming from escalating health complications.

The 24-hour Economic Blackout was a consumer-led movement to boycott certain brands and protest “corporate greed.” The action also decried rollbacks of corporate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and President Donald Trump’s push to eliminate federal DEI programs during his second term.

In a series of social media posts, Schwarz documented his health journey this week. In his initial post, Schwarz, clad in a hospital gown, said he’d been hospitalized due to breathing troubles, but he continued advocating boycotts of brands such as Etsy, Amazon, Home Depot and Starbucks as part of his work with the People’s Union USA.

The videos then quickly progressed from advocacy to a recounting of his hospital stay.

Schwarz mentioned that he has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, which led to pneumonia, while also experiencing atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder. In his latest update on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon, he said, “Restarted my heart twice. Out of AFIB.”

His GoFundMe page has gone viral with more than 2,800 donations and comments pouring in from well-wishers.

One user on Instagram commented, “Just saw the GoFundMe! Fantastic to see such a supportive community 🙏❤️‍🩹 speedy recovery John.” Another on TikTok posted,” I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Sending healthy thoughts to get through this!”

Schwarz has been vocal in calling for boycotts of popular retailers. The People’s Union USA identifies itself as a nationwide movement dedicated to fighting corporate greed, political corruption and economic injustice.

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