TO THE EDITOR:
For those who don’t care about House Bill 318, an unquestionably anti-immigrant bill, I have one question: Why?
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, will be written in my children’s textbooks as the day that North Carolina regressed in its pursuit of justice. It is the day that Gov. Pat McCrory signed HB 318.
This bill is concerning for several reasons. HB 318 decreases accessibility to food stamps, imposes the use of E-Verify on government-contracted businesses, while hypocritically exempting the agricultural industry, and ousts sanctuary cities, which are lenient toward undocumented immigrants.
While this single bill is detestable, I fear the anti-immigrant trend in North Carolina more deeply. Because of our indifference, the bill passed with insufficient objections. Yet this is not our worst misstep. Our indifference permitted others to foster anti-immigrant beliefs.
Oppressors win when the kindhearted are passive. They won when HB 318 passed. But the passive cannot allow this to continue.
We must reverse this anti-immigrant trend through rejecting passivity. We must embrace righteousness. This means defending and fighting for the marginalized, including undocumented immigrants.
We need to host rallies, sign petitions, and organize vigils. If the kindhearted are passive, we allow the oppressive to win. I am guilty of this. I did not fight HB 318 enough. But I believe that we can reverse this trend by taking action. This letter is my personal commitment to future action.
I pray others will join me.
