U.S.A. Celebrates Black History
Month
Throughout the Month of
February
10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN RHODE ISLAND
In celebration of the rich history and legacy of the historical
black community of Rhode Island, here are “10 Interesting Facts About Black
History in Rhode Island That You Should Know About”:
1.
Jamestown was home to the last known slave in
Rhode Island, James Howland, who died Jan. 3,
1859. His death notice, published in the Providence Daily
Tribune Jan. 10, 1859, stated, "James Howland, the last of the Rhode
Island slaves, died at the residence of John Howland, Jamestown, R.I., on the
3rd inst., at the ripe old age of one hundred years. He had always been a
faithful servant in the Howland family. Up to the time of his death he retained
all his faculties unimpaired, and on the night of Jan. 2 attended to his usual
duties about the house. On the morning of the 3rd he rose, dressed himself, and
was about to ascend the stairs from his chamber, when he fainted, and expired
in a few moments."
2.
The “God’s Little Acre” cemetery in Newport,
RI has been recognized as having possibly the oldest and largest surviving
collection of markers of enslaved and free Africans, the earliest of
whom were born in the late 1600s.
3.
The Dexter Training Ground in Providence,
formally known as Camp Fremont, is a historically significant training ground for
Colored Civil War Troops of the Union Army.
4.
America’s first African-American U.S. military
regiment was the 1st Rhode Island Regiment. The regiment
defeated three assaults by the British during the battle for Rhode Island in
1778 and later participated in the victory at Yorktown in 1781.
5.
Hard Scrabble (Addison Hollow)
and Snow Town were two African-American neighborhoods in
Providence in the early-mid 1800s, and were the sites of race
riots instigated by working-class whites, which destroyed
black homes in the neighborhoods. As a result of the Snow Town Riot, Providence
voters approved a charter for a city government containing strong police powers,
which resulted in the formation of the Providence Police Department.
6.
Joseph Gomes was the only Rhode
Islander to play baseball in the Negro Major Baseball League, and was named an
All-Star in each of the seven years he played. He compiled a 362-41
pitching record, with a 1.74 earned-run-average in the Majors.
7.
Dr. Raymond T. Jackson, originally of
Providence, is an accomplished concert pianist and graduate of the Julliard
School of Music. Noted for bringing the music of African-American composers to
the concert stage, he compiled a three-volume anthology containing works by two
dozen African-American composers dating back to the early 1800s. He was
the first African-American, first musician, and youngest person to be elected
into The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
8.
Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, born
in Portsmouth, Virginia, was an African-American Rhode Islander and famous
concert singer of the 19th century. After becoming the first
African-American artist to perform at the Wallack's Theatre in New York, she
toured South America, Europe and Canada. Known as "the Black Patti,"
after Italian diva Adelina Patti, Ms. Jones performed in Madison Square Garden,
Carnegie Hall, and before the crowned heads of Europe. In addition to the
Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, Jones is also a member of the Rhode Island
Music Hall of Fame.
9.
Dr. Alonzo Van Horn was
the first African-American dentist in Rhode Island, with offices at 22 and 166
Broadway in Newport.
10.
The African Union Society (AUS) was created
in Newport in 1780. While most blacks from Rhode Island were free by
1807, strong prejudice and oppression were present before and after that
date. The AUS developed partly in response to these difficulties, as well
as to be a forum for black cultural discussion. The society is considered
one of the first formal organizations founded by free blacks in the United
States.
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