During a recent cross-country road trip this summer, my
wife and I were driving around Little Rock, Arkansas, looking for a
place to eat lunch. We had a hard time finding any place that was open.
Then we realized it was Sunday.
It’s not too surprising that in conservative-leaning Arkansas, certain blue laws
— or laws that restrict commerce on Sundays for religious reasons —
remain in force in many parts of the state. Arkansas banned most
businesses from opening on Sunday until 1982. Until 2009, it banned all Sunday liquor sales, which, in practice, shut down many establishments that served alcohol. Not until July of this year did the town of Fort Smith repeal a law banning dancing on Sundays. Many towns in Arkansas, including more left-leaning college towns, still maintain a wide array of local blue laws, especially regarding liquor.
While I’m not aware of a specific law that led to my difficulty finding a place to eat in Little Rock, the cultural tradition
of blue laws was strong enough that restaurants offering Sunday brunch
appeared far less common than in more secularized places where I’ve
lived.
And in an era with increasingly fewer protections for
workers, progressives and religious conservatives alike should unite to
push for more blue laws that protect the sanctity of life outside of of
work.
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