The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) has announced plans to construct a new bus shelter in honor of civil rights icon Rosa Parks. The bus shelter will be located at the intersection of Smith Street and Park Street, directly across from the State House in Providence.
Rosa Parks, widely known as the mother of the modern civil rights movement in America, made history on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. The bus shelter will commemorate Parks’ act of courage and civil disobedience, which sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and played a pivotal role in ending legal segregation in the United States.
“As we celebrate Transit Equity Day today – just days after Rosa Parks’ birthday- I am honored to announce that RIPTA will construct a bus shelter to honor her and the civil rights movement,” said Scott Avedisian, RIPTA CEO. “This bus shelter will serve as a permanent dedication to Rosa Parks in honor of her brave fight to provide equitable transportation and her role in launching the modern civil rights movement that helped end legal segregation in America.
RIPTA says it will closely partner with the City of Providence, the State, and local community organizations to construct the bus shelter. RIPTA says that the bus shelter will serve as a symbol of RIPTA’s commitment to promoting equal access to transportation for all.
