Just a reminder that Stages of Freedom, the state’s only African American Museum and Bookshop, is right downtown on lower Westminster Street by the river. And, as the sign in the window says, “All for a good cause.” That would be the Swim Empowerment program which provides free swim lessons for low-income BIPOC youth. But …
Located on the RIC campus, the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society is dedicated to the preservation of artifacts — books, art, pamphlets, letters, images, and any other historical material — relating to the history of the Black community in Rhode Island, and the telling of the story of the descendants of the African Diaspora. There …
Erected in 1769, the Old Brick Schoolhouse made history in 1828 when it became a public school for pupils of color, known then as the Meeting Street Grammar School. And it was a Black woman, Elizabeth Howland Smith, nee Brown, whose rigorous educational standards as teacher and principal brought honor to both the school and …
(2.2) The Congdon Street Baptist Church will be hosting a screening of the PBS film Becoming Frederick Douglass: Discover how a man born into slavery became one the nation’s most influential leaders. Presented by Stages of Freedom in conjunction with Rhode Island PBS, the video screenings will be followed by a discussion: Lee Blake of …
(9.18) Fans of the gargoyles and oracles they have consulted at WaterFire may not be aware of the wide range of figures that TEN31 Productions is capable of mounting. But nobody is going to ask a bowler to predict the future; you need a sibyl! For something different, head down to the river this Sunday …
And better than ever. I stopped by Stages of Freedom recently and found they had enhanced the displays and expanded the inventory — so much more to see, and much of it is for sale (lots of used books, including vintage juveniles). Co-founders Ray Rickman and Robb Dimmick were both on hand to show off …
(3.19) Saturday at 6pm, via Zoom, AS220 will be presenting the award-winning documentary Summer of Soul, with a special post-film Q&A session featuring Summer of Soul film editor Joshua L. Pearson. In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an …
When I found this listing in the Stages of Freedom database, Rhode to Freedom, I was immediately intrigued: George “Gunboat” Purnell: 24 Clarendon Ave. 1865. Built by Washington Cole for workers at Cole Farm. Purnell, “the greatest negro character in the city,” lived here. I determined to discover more about this man, although, I should have …
Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, Duke Ellington, Sammy Davis Jr., Fats Domino, Ella Fitzgerald — these are just a few of the musicians who played at Providence’s Celebrity Club. In honor of Black History Month the filmmakers behind the documentary “Do it, Man: The Story of the Celebrity …
The Providence Art Club has launched a campaign to create a statue of the noted 19th-century landscape painter, and one of the Art Club’s original founders, Edward M. Bannister. Seen here is a mock-up, with a wax maquette, of a full-size sculpture by artist, Gage Prentiss in its anticipated location in Market Square. Prentiss speaks …
The larger plaque on this 19th-century Pratt Street house reads, “Formerly the Crispus Attucks* Center founded in 1929 to provide for the cultural and recreational needs of the Afro-American Community.” Eight years later the center was renamed to honor Brown alum, educator, and college president, John Hope, who had died the previous year. The Stages …
One of the main characters in the television series The Gilded Age is an educated young African American woman with literary ambitions, carefully finding her way in New York City society. Should Peggy Scott end up in Newport, she might find more to her liking in the vibrant community of Black professionals and middle class …
Last Christmas fire tore through the Prince Hall Masonic Temple on Eddy Street doing considerable damage. From the ProJo: “I’m just crushed,” said Jim Vincent, president of the Providence NAACP, whose office was housed there until very recently. “It’s the worst news I’ve heard in a long time. A lot of people today are red-eyed. …