A call for ‘Economic Bill of Rights’ on Rosa Parks Day

On Dec. 1, dozens of members of the Rhode Island Rosa Parks Human Rights Committee of the RI Peoples Assembly organized a rush-hour, peoples’ tribute to past and present struggles for social and economic rights, equality and freedom. Clad in their bright orange T-shirts, the activists lined Broad Street in the heart of Providence’s South Side.

Photo: Robert Malin

Thousands of students pouring out of Central High School and passersby were treated to a spectacle of beautiful banners and placards, and the music of many popular singers. Speakers hailed Rosa Parks and others whose struggles paved the way for today’s protesters. They said generations must unite and stand up together against the new wave of attacks on the social and economic gains and the rights of working and oppressed people. They called for a new society based on human needs, equality and peace to replace the present one based on profits, inequality and war.

They called for a new “Economic Bill of Rights” which would guarantee jobs, a $15/hr. minimum wage, free universal health care, free public education, and affordable housing, utilities, recreation and culture. It would ensure an adequate income for all seniors and disabled people, low-cost mass transit, essential services to promote healthy communities, and a green planet with open spaces and renewable energy.