Been struggling with extreme guilt about how much I just listened to both sides of the living wage debate before this, and worried this was hypocritical to write, but I ended up sending it in. https://www.thetelegram.com/opinion/local-perspectives/letter-essential-workers-deserve-our-support-now-and-after-the-pandemic-436348/#.XpGc6WE73Dc.twitter">https://www.thetelegram.com/opinion/l...

I was one of those people who worried it would shut down the tiny local shops that I adored, and to take a stance would be to tell them they shouldn& #39;t be in business if they couldn& #39;t afford to pay more.

For me it was never about the big stores that could afford it. Believe me, they should be paying well above the living wage. But you know what my silence did because I worry about the tiny stores?

It helped create the huge injustice that& #39;s happening now. My silence, along with many others, is a big part of the reason people are working for so little while we stay safe at home. It& #39;s all of our faults. We need to fix it.