Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week are are urging support for a petition to the CEO of Kroger demanding that he reverse a decision to close two stores in Long Beach (a Ralphs and a Food4Less) — a closure apparently in direct retaliation against the City of Long Beach for passing a $4 per hour temporary hazard pay ordinance.

On the same day Kroger announced the closure of these two stores in Long Beach, they donated $3 million in the name of racial equity. Kroger cannot claim to care about eliminating food deserts, as their charitable giving to Everytable or LISC would indicate, while they create new food deserts in predominantly Black and Brown Long Beach communities. Shame on Kroger for gaslighting the public at Black and Brown workers’ expense.

This move is especially shameful given it happened at the start of Black History Month. Kroger more than doubled their profits in 2020, even spending $1.3B on stock buybacks. Paying Long Beach workers’ hazard pay—per the policy they claim will cause irreparable harm—would only cost Kroger approximately $550,000.

Tell Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen that it is unacceptable to eliminate jobs for predominantly Black and Brown workers in Long Beach during a pandemic. Support Long Beach grocery workers by signing the petition to demand Kroger keep the stores open.