By Alabama Public Radio
Undated, AL – There were rallies and marches across the state Monday as part of a larger nationwide effort to show the economic power of Hispanic immigrants. Around Birmingham, small stores with mostly Spanish-speaking customers closed for the day. Some companies that employ hundreds of Hispanic workers decided to shut their doors, too. There were demonstrations in Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Dothan. In that city, participants marched from a church to the Houston County Courthouse. Several hundred people gathered in downtown Huntsville for the event, and a couple hundred marchers in Tuscaloosa walked through the University of Alabama campus.