Voices of Resilience: Hidden History of Providence Tour – Providence, Rhode Island

Providence has also been home to courageous and resilient people who were able to achieve incredible feats despite the deck being stacked against them in every way.

EXPERIENCE:

From pivotal social justice movements to the personal narratives of unsung heroes, Voices of Resilience offers a deeper understanding of Providence’s identity and legacy of courage, resistance, and triumph. The tour highlights the lives and contributions of Providence’s Indigenous peoples, African Americans, immigrants, women, and other historically underrepresented groups who helped shape the city. We’ll take a closer look at how Rhode Island’s tremendous profit on the international slave trade powered the Industrial Revolution, how the state barely overcame revolution in defiance of rebellious suffragists, all the way through how the state fought but failed to prevent the first Gay Pride parade from taking place in Providence in 1976.

Providence has been home to diverse, courageous, and resilient people who were able to achieve incredible feats despite the deck being stacked against them in every way. Learn about Edward Bannister, a 19th-century Black barber who overcame prejudice to become a painter of national acclaim; Princess Red Wing, a passionate educator, storyteller, and Narragansett and Pokanoket activist; Maritcha Lyons, who testified at the age of 16 in favor of Rhode Island school desegregation; and the 1902 labor strike that stopped Rhode Island’s urban core in its tracks.

The walk begins on the Michael Van Leesten Pedestrian Bridge and concludes after a 1-mile stroll at Roger Williams National Memorial. 

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Learn the history of social movements and underrepresented heroes
Discuss Edward Bannister, a Black Providence barber who became a famous painter
Learn about the efforts of Princess Red Wing, a Narragansett/Pokanoket activist

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