On Feb. 15, Merritt’s Store and Grill stood in solidarity with their Hispanic staff by announcing on Facebook that they would close the restaurant so they could take part in the nationally organized Day Without Immigrants strike the following day.
Merritt’s took a moral stance against changing immigration policies and “unjust deportations,” but even if they didn’t formally close the business last Thursday, they hardly would’ve been able to operate without 95 percent of their staff.
Other local businesses similarly shut down Feb. 16 to allow their employees to participate in the strike, which illustrated the importance of immigrants in our everyday lives.
These establishments should be lauded for not only taking a stance against xenophobia, but also reminding their patrons of the often-overlooked role that immigrants play in our society.
Furthermore, the businesses that closed on Feb. 16 for the strike not only validated their political stances, but also the personal worth of what each immigrant brings to the community.
So thank you, Merritt’s, for coming out so strongly against discrimination in your Facebook post last Wednesday. And, given the current political climate, we hope you and your fellow local businesses will take similar steps in the future whenever necessary.
Even though we hardly needed yet another reason to eat your BLTs, we appreciate it.
