Residents of Camden, Paterson, Asbury Park, and other troubled cities waved signs, chanted, "We want OSA!" and heard from speakers including Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean (R., Union); the Rev. Reginald Jackson, influential leader of a black clergy group; and Assemblyman Angel Fuentes (D., Camden).
Among the attendees was Rodriguez, 48, a nurse and mother of two adult children. She waved a bright yellow sign portraying the grim options for inner-city children without educational choices.
"They deserve to have a better education for a better future . . . If they don't have a better education, [prison or death] is what's going to happen," she said.
By supporting the bill, Fuentes told the crowd, "we are working to keep every child competitive in this global economy."
The legislation is a key element of Christie's educational agenda. It would create a pilot program offering tax breaks to corporations that contribute to scholarships that would enable low-income children in urban public school districts to attend better public or private schools.
The proposal has stirred plenty of controversy, as opponents, including the state's largest teachers' union, voice concern that it would pull money from public schools.
On Wednesday, opponents including Sen. Ron Rice (D., Essex), rallied in Jersey City against the measure.
"I have no idea what's happening with the bill," Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D., Union), a sponsor, said in an interview. "I know [legislators] are talking about paring it down."
Jackson, executive director of the Black Ministers' Council of New Jersey, justified his support for the measure Thursday, saying that a good education is an "equalizer."
"Every legislator in this building either has or sends their child to a good public school, or they have the resources to send them to another school," Jackson said. "We believe every parent out here ought to have those same options."
Contact staff writer Maya Rao at 609-989-8990, mrao@phillynews.com, or @Mrao_Inquirer on Twitter.
