Civil rights history presentation Nov. 15

PROVIDENCE — The National Park Service (NPS) announced earlier this year a $49,557.76 grant to the Rhode Island Historical Society, working in partnership with the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society (RIBHS) and Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC), for the purposes of a multiphase project focusing on African Americans' struggle for civil rights in Rhode Island during the 20th century.

The RIHS, RIBHS, and RIHPHC aim to identify new primary source materials, establish a comprehensive study of the state’s 20th-century civil rights history, compile a survey report and recommendations for National Register listing, and assemble educational materials that impart the findings to both a formal educational audience and the general public.

To launch the research work, a special event has been scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m., at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, 475 Cranston St., Providence. “A Fireside Chat” will bring together several noted Rhode Island civil rights and history leaders to discuss the history of civil rights in Rhode Island. The audience will have the opportunity to join in on the conversation with the speakers in retelling the major events, places, and people that shaped 20th-century civil rights in Rhode Island. For more information, please contact Theresa Guzman Stokes, Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, at soni.stokes@riblackheritage.org.