December RI Women’s History Feature: Rhoda Perry
Rhoda Perry was a Rhode Island State Senator for Senate District 3 from 1991 to 2012. She is a retired educator and health care administrator.
During her time as a Rhode Island legislator, Perry’s areas of focus were civil rights, civil liberties, health care and reproductive justice, especially for the most vulnerable populations in the state.
Rhoda Perry was integral in the creation of Compassion Centers in Rhode Island, sponsoring a medical marijuana bill. In 2007, she lobbied for and helped pass a human trafficking bill, targeting ‘the source,’ not the victims of trafficking. In 2004, she was the Senate legislative sponsor for Clean Elections Rhode Island, designed to make elections in the state publicly funded. To date, the bill has been brought before the House Finance and Senate Judiciary committees every year since, but has never been brought to the floor for a vote.
Among the commissions on which she has served are those for adoption, the mentally ill in the criminal justice system and the Governor’s Commission on Bias and Prejudice.
Perry has been an inspiration to her constituents, many of her female colleagues in the General Assembly, and to Democratic women in Rhode Island.
Our monthly Rhode Island Women’s History Column is written by Judi Zimmer. Contact the RIDWC at RIDWomensCaucus [at] gmail [dot] com if you have suggestions for future columns about notable Rhode Island women, past and present.
###
The Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus seeks to impact government and political processes in order to ensure equality in power, influence, and economic status for those who identify as and with women. We will do this by (a) recruiting and supporting candidates in all levels of government and (b) advocating for Democratic principles consistent with the Democration Party platform.