Woonsocket Radio News Room

A new guide, "On The Rhode to Freedom" created by the nonprofit group, Stages of Freedom, is a roadside guide to African American sites in Rhode Island.

 

Spearheaded by co-founder Rob Dimmock, the guide "explores the rich and compelling contributions of African Americans on the landscape and cultural heritage of Rhode Island." Many of the sites featured in the guide can be found right here in the Blackstone Valley. Here are a few examples taken from the guide.

 

  • Woonsocket - Woonsocket City Hall, 169 Main Street. Built by abolitionist Edward Harris, this site hosted Abraham Lincoln's unprecedented second visit to Rhode Island in March 1860. He spoke to a packed audience, defending his position that the nation could not endure half slave and half free. (See plaque located in entryway.)
  • Cumberland - Abolitionist Elizabeth Buffum Chace moved to Valley Falls in 1839 when her husband, Samuel, took over management of the Valley Falls Mills on the Blackstone River. There in the Currier House (no longer standing) they established the main stop on the Underground Railroad in Rhode Island. 
  • North Smithfield - Banneker Industries, 582 Great Road. Named for the great Black mathematician, Benjamin Banneker, Cheryl Snead founded Banneker Industries, a world-class provider of supply chain solutions, specializing in third and fourth-party logistics services, in 1991.

 

The Project is funded by RI Humanities and is truly full of interesting information and couldn't be more timely. As Dimmock noted in an article published by the Valley Breeze, “We really do feel like now is the time to recognize black lives have always been here, and continue to be here. And here are ways to touch those lives that came before us in a powerful and meaningful way." Read on.

 

Hundreds of people across the U.S. have been arrested in the past two weeks for protesting the Gaza war. Anti-Israel protests have sprung up across the country since the NYPD arrested over 100 demonstrators at Columbia University on April 18th. The New York Times says since then, protesting students have been setting up tents at campuses across the country, and over 400 protesters have been arrested.       Details of former tabloid publisher David Pecker's involvement in Donald Trump's alleged hush money trial came to light in court Thursday. Pecker took the stand for his third day of testimony, and said he arranged to buy the story surrounding Trump's alleged affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal for $150,000, but backed out of the deal after consulting with election lawyers, believing the payment may break the law. Court is set to resume this morning.       Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back home from China after three days of meetings with Chinese officials. Blinken called his three-hour meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi "extensive and constructive." Wang said a "major question" between the U.S. and China is if the two countries should "keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability" or if they're going to "return to a downward spiral."        Tennessee Governor Bill Lee says he plans to sign a bill that would allow teachers to carry guns. The State House passed the bill along party lines earlier this week, and on Thursday Lee confirmed he plans to sign the bill into law.       The first night of the 2024 NFL Draft had its fair share of offensive players fly off the board. A record 23 offensive players were taken in the first round. The Chicago Bears kicked off the night by selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick.        Colombia has become the first country to restrict the import of U.S. beef due to cows testing positive for bird flu. The USDA announced on its website this week that the South American country is banning beef products from cattle slaughtered in eight U.S. states where dairy cows have tested positive for the avian influenza.        

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