Building off both local and national momentum, our Council will focus its attention on the exploration of our collective memories related to the experiences of Rhode Island's African Americans. Highlighting the many stories of accomplishments and contributions made by individuals and organizations within the state, our Council will create opportunities to convene dialogue, discussion and uncover deeper research on this focused area of inquiry. These stories include the history of the slave trade and emancipation; pacifism and military heroism; pioneering artists and the creation of nationally recognized cultural and educational institutions; the realization of the American Dream as well as the legacy of racism and oppression.

For more information, please contact Risa at 273-2250 or risa@rihumanities.org

Greetings!

Ah, April!

You know you want to shed your coats and woolens.

You know you want to get out of the house and out of the office and feed your mind!

Go to the West Warwick Elk's Lodge and hear former Governor Sundlun speak on "First in War / Last in Peace," and learn about Rhode Island's lesser known "firsts and lasts."

Go to Slater Mill and find out if UFOs have really ever landed in New England. (Alan Levillee knows).

Prefer to stay at your desk for a spell? Take a look at what our new board chair has to say about office hours, email, and setting up a "Talk to a Historian" booth at the supermarket.

Have something to say? Write to me. I'd love to hear what you are thinking about.

Happy Spring!

All the best,
Mary-Kim

RICH GRANT PROJECT SPOTLIGHT:
COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA

Aurea Ensemble

RICH grantee Anne Edmonds Clanton has organized ten public forums to

discuss the disparities between Black America and White America based on the New York Times bestseller "The Covenant" edited by Tavis Smiley. The Covenant is a collection of essays that plot a course for African Americans, explaining how individuals and households can make changes that will immediately improve their circumstances in areas ranging from health and education to crime reduction and financial well-being. Each essay outlines one key issue and provides a list of resources and suggestions for action. Though the African American community faces devastating social disparities, this celebration of possibility, hope and strength will help leaders and citizens keep Black America moving forward.

Project Director Anne Edmonds Clanton has this to say about her hopes for the project, "While statistics often remind us of despair, The Covenant reminds us that there is hope, and that we all have a role in creating the world we want for generations to come."

All forums are FREE and open to the public:

April 28: VOTING, Johnson & Wales University Multicultural Center, 6:30-8:30

May 14: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, Center for Environmental Studies at Brown University

For more details about each forum please contact Anne anne511@cox.net

For more information about The Covenant please visit:www.covenantwithblackamerica.com

THE 60 DAY CONVERSATION, OR A CHAT WITH BOARD CHAIR, ROGER BLUMBERG

Not a fan of the 60-second interview format, Roger and Mary-Kim exchanged emails on a few issues. Not quite a conversation, nor quite an interview, we share this exchange here for your reading pleasure.

MKA: You've taught a course called Computers and Human Values that explores the effect of technological innovation on contemporary society. In your syllabus, you suggest that our use of email (for example) has had impact not only on our ideas about technology but about more fundamental questions of human interactions. Was there a particular moment that brought this idea
into focus for you?

Read Roger's response here www.rihumanities.org

Mr. Blumberg has served on the Council Board since 2006. He is currently a Visiting Scientist in the Department of Computer Science at Brown University, where, since 1998, he has specialized in and taught courses about Educational Software and the impact of computing on society. As a faculty member in the History, Philosophy and Social Science Department at the Rhode Island School of Design, he teaches "Computing and Its Consequences." He has written articles and textbooks, as well as fiction, and his work has appeared in publications as diverse as The Sciences, Proceedings of the 2nd World Wide Web Conference, Newsday, Brown University's Teaching Exchange, and the Providence "zine," Puffy Fruit.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, April 10, 7:00 pm

Documentary Screening: Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

tracesofthetrade Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North is a feature documentary and tells the story of Producer/Director Katrina Browne's ancestors from Bristol, Rhode Island who were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. Cameras follow as Browne and nine fellow descendants undertake a journey of discovery to Rhode Island, Ghana, and Cuba. Retracing the steps of the notorious Triangle Trade, audiences will uncover a family's, a region's, and a nation's hidden past. Simultaneously, viewers will follow descendants of the DeWolf family as they grapple with the contemporary legacy of slavery, not only for black Americans, but for themselves as white Americans. RICH was an early funder for this project.

Screening is at The Carriage House
9 Duncan Ave., Providence
For reservations call
401-467-1717 extension 101

Tuesday, April 15, 1:00 pm

EnRICHment Opportunity: "First in War/ Last in Peace"
Presented by Governor Bruce Sundlun
Elk's Home, Lodge 1697
60 Clyde St. West Warwich
Contact Eileen 828-5712

Wednesday, April 16 5:00pm

RICH Independent Research Grant Funded Project: Caroline Hazard, Daughter of the House
Local scholar, Helen Allen, will share her research about Caroline Hazard and her family in an upcoming talk at Rhode Island College.
Miss Hazard was raised in Rhode Island, and, in 1899, became Wellesley College's fifth president. She rescued the college from the brink of bankruptcy and established it as the preeminent women's college in the country. After her tenure at Wellesley, Miss Hazard returned to Peacedale, where she wrote poetry, and was active in the community. Miss Hazard's nephew Leonard Bacon, the 1941 Pulitzer Prize winning writer, along with his daughter and son-in-law; Martha and Ronald Ballinger, attracted a generation of writers to their houses on the Hazard estate. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ballinger taught at Rhode Island College, and, in 1982, bequeathed the Hazard papers as well as their fine library and parlor furniture to the Special Collections Reading Room.

James P. Adams Library, at Rhode Island College
Exhibit at 4:00 p.m. in Special Collections,
Presentation at 5:00 in the Fortes Room (refreshments to follow).

Thursday, April 17, 6:15 pm

EnRICHment Opportunity: "Crime and Punishment in 1874-a Year in the Providence Reform School"
Presented by Sue Madden
Cranston Dept. of Senior Services
1070 Cranston St, Cranston
Contact Laura 780-6168

Friday April 25, 7:00 pm

EnRICHment Opportunity: "Fantastic Archaeology: Stories of Frauds, Fakes, and Facts in New England
Presented by Alan Leveille
Slater Mill
67 Roosevelt Ave, Pawtucket
Contact Francine 755-8638x105

Thursday May 1, 1:00 pm

EnRICHment Opportunity: "Frank Sinatra: Big Band and Early youngsinatra Solo Days"
Presented by Dr. Steven M. Kane
St. Luke's Parish
99 Peirce St., East Greenwich
Contact Diane 294-8550

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
EnRICHment OPPORTUNITIES SPEAKERS AND PROGRAMS, VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.rihumanities.org

info@rihumanities.org
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities

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