Newport resident Charles Roberts, the director of the Newport Slave Medallions project, spoke earlier this month at the seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, a global initiative at the United Nations during Women’s History Month. The session explored a variety of topics over a period from March 9 to 19 at UN headquarters in New York.
The session featured an exhibition on the Atlantic slave trade in the lobby of the UN Commission Center. Roberts was the only male speaker on gender empowerment. “In my speech, I mentioned that my aunt, Eleanor, had broken the gender barrier by becoming the first woman of color to be hired as a designer at the Newport Naval Torpedo Station in 1943, an uncommon and pioneering role at that time,” Roberts said.
“It was with that spirit in mind that my presence at the UN reflected a commitment to intergenerational inclusion and educational transformation,” he added.”
Rhode Island Slave History Medallions invites the community to a special Juneteenth Semiquincentennial Living History Celebration at Fort Adams State Park in Newport.
Held on the parade grounds inside the fort, this family-friendly event will commemorate Juneteenth while also honoring the anniversary of the Revolutionary War and the history of the Battle of Rhode Island.
We invite all visitors to learn more about RISHM’s events and accomplishments in 2025 and support our Annual Campaign, from Giving Tuesday (Dec. 2, 2025) through 401 Gives Day (April 1, 2026).
RISHM relies on the generous support of private donations to continue the underrepresented but important work of marking the landscape of where slave history happened in Rhode Island.
