Contact: April Thomas, 206.321.3850, april.thomas@sierraclub.org
Oakland, Calif., -- Today, community, labor and environmental organizations in cities across the U.S. are taking action for transit equity. The second Transit Equity Day commemorates civil rights icon Rosa Parks on her birthday. Her act of resistance by refusing to give up her seat on the bus in 1955 was a catalyst for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the civil rights movement. It affirmed that everyone has the right to equal access to public transit.
In response, Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, issued the following statement:
“Transportation is one of the biggest sources of climate-disrupting pollution in our country. Electrifying our transit systems nationwide and powering them with clean energy is crucial to the fight to stop climate change, but we can't talk about the future of transportation without prioritizing the issue of economic justice. Investing in clean transportation must go hand in hand with increasing access, affordability and safety to public transit so that everyone can benefit from improved transit networks, particularly transit workers, riders with disabilities, and underserved low-income communities.”
For a full list of sponsoring and endorsing organizations, visit: Transit Equity Day
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.