RISHM Founder & Executive Director Charles Roberts with his little brother Barry, circa 1948 in Newport.
A recent photo of Charles Roberts next to a burial marker carved with a soul effigy – his inspiration for today’s RISHM Markers (shown below) – at God’s Little Acre in Newport.
RISHM participates in state and local Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities
Charles Roberts (center) shown here with Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore, Governor Daniel McKee, Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos and Pastor Chris Abhulime enjoys a civic leader gathering in Providence in honor of MLK Day.
The RISHM team joined many local and state leaders for the annual MLK Day Tribute at Thompson Middle School in Newport. Shown in the photo on the left is keynote speaker Owen Hwang, Mrs. Victoria Jackson and Ray Rickman of Stages of Freedom. Far right photo: Naval Officer Candidate and poet Dylan Wylie offers a stirring oral tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the event, receiving a standing ovation.
Charles Roberts is pictured here with RITBA Executive Director Lori Caron Silveira. Roberts has recently been asked to join the Board of RITBA.
Save the Date! Upcoming RISHM Black History Month Event
“We Gather Together in Peace”
Join RISHM and Newport Craft Brewery as we welcome renowned African djembefola drummer Sidy Maïga and his band for a special exclusive #BHM month performance on Friday, February 28, 2025, 6 pm – 8 pm.
The name “djembe” comes from the African word “Anke djé, Anke bé” which translates to “everyone gather together in peace” and defines the drum’s purpose.
Music starts at 6 pm. Beginning at 6:45 pm, RISHM’s historian will present a brief history of the Triangle Slave Trade in Rhode Island and how rum was at the center of this economic trade and pirate activity for two centuries. Tastings of the award-winning Thomas Tew Single Barrel Rum, alongside other Thomas Tew rums and light bites, will be offered to RISHM’s guests.
Location: Newport Craft Brewery, 293 JT Connell Highway, Newport, RI
$25 + $2.38 fee per ticket
Let’s Make History Together Annual Campaign
Beginning in December, RISHM launched an annual campaign that will span until 401 Gives Day (Rhode Island’s “giving day” for non-profit organizations), which is commemorated on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Together, all things are possible! Your gift this winter/BHM season, in any amount, is urgently needed so we can continue our programming and help to foster greater understanding and bridge cultural divides.
Thank you so much for your tax-deductible contribution. To donate, please click on the button below, visit the DONATE page on our website, www.
RI Slave History Medallions
PO Box 2505, Newport, RI 02840
We extend our deepest appreciation for your continued support of our work in 2025!
Our mission is to tell the forgotten stories of Rhode Island’s free and enslaved African-American and Indigenous peoples. Through our statewide initiative to install interactive markers at historic sites, we engage in research, present public education programs, and build community partnerships to bring awareness to our state’s dominant role in the institution of American slavery and to the effects of that legacy today. www.
RISHM offers its deepest appreciation to these generous supporters:
RI State Legislators, RI Commerce, Black Philanthropy Bannister Fund, Bank Newport, Prince Charitable Trusts, Gruben Charitable Foundation, RIF’s Newport County Fund and Community Gift Fund for generous grant support in 2024.
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.
