EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NOTE #1
Welcome to Year 1 of the African American Museum of Rhode Island, we are excited and looking forward to a range of initiatives over the coming year. There are three approaches that AAMRI will take in 2025 to achieve its goals of documenting, preserving and interpreting the stories of African Heritage Rhode Islanders through the voices of youth: Oral History, Wikipedia Pages, Advocacy.
Oral History
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African Heritage communities of Rhode Island in the 20th century constituted a global migration into the smallest state in the union with layered histories that extend to the pre-colonial era. These stories are from the Afro-Caribbean communities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, Newport, and the Cape Verdean communities of Fox Point with connections to the continent that include Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, and a host of other African nations. While each of these communities maintained the rich traditions, stories and networks from home, they found a welcoming hand from existing African Heritage and African American communities in Rhode Island.
Documenting the people, places, and events in the post WWII era of these communities is a central focus of AAMRI, and we recognize where the historic record overlooks the layers and complexities of communities. For example, as the students from YouthBuild Preparatory Academy prepared and conducted research for interviews with Randall Ashe, local and international connections emerged. Ashe won, at age 11, a contest at the original Metropolitan (no longer in existence) which introduced him to the stage of the Celebrity Club.
As the youth asked questions of Ashe, he continued that there were a number of clubs and dance halls throughout New England where talented youth were allowed to play. The focus on the mid-century Celebrity Club quickly extended to locations in Taunton, Rocky Point, Boston, and Providence with opportunities for a group of young musicians to play multiple nights. A local promoter and owner of clubs, Kenny Woods, took Little Randall and the Stompers from New England to clubs as far away as Portland, Maine for performances.
It would be there in 1955 that the story would take on a different layer, the entertaining of miners working in the asbestos industry. A miner with a love of jazz would see the young band in Maine and would transport them to the town of Asbestos in the province of Quebec, Canada. The young men from Providence would find themselves in this small and isolated town during their summer break with steady work and time on their hands. Ashe would take them back to that town with stories of horseback riding and target practice at the mounds of earth moved by the excavation of land to produce the toxic asbestos for transport throughout the globe.
The band, Little Randy and the Stompers would perform from 1955 - 1965 with members going to find success with bands such as LTD and as music arranger and composer for Ray Charles. Randall, a child prodigy with stage credentials would go on to study with mentors from the Berklee College of Music, manage and tour with recording artists, and produce local television.
Wikipedia Pages
A common way to gather information is a quick Wikipedia search to provide a historical narrative. The limitation of this crowd-sourced model is the stories that are celebrated, documented and noted on the sites reflect the interests, knowledge and time of those who contribute to Wikipedia. The rich story of Randall Ashe is not accessible because there is no page dedicated to telling this extraordinary story. At the core of AAMRI is a recognition that public humanities projects that contribute to the common good are critical because if we do not tell those stories, no one else will.
Our goal is to create a model of storytelling for post 1950s African Heritage stories that are researched, documented and then shared by youth. The Wikipedia platform is a free and publicly accessible vehicle that will model to African Heritage youth of Rhode Island that they have a voice and can document the stories of their communities.
By February 2025, a publicly accessible Wikipedia page focused on Randall Ashe and developed by the students of YouthBuild Preparatory Academy will debut. The components of the story shared earlier in this note will be part of the public record and a search for the rich stories of African Heritage communities in Rhode Island will now include Randall.
There are a number of extraordinary individuals from these communities whose stories have gone untold that we have yet to explore. A campaign of Wikipedia pages focused on the forgotten stories of African Heritage communities will allow that erasure to be corrected.
Advocacy
It is a simple proposition that the increasingly Black and Brown youth of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, and Newport should research, advocate, and make changes to the landscape of the places they call home. There are wonderful examples such as the Michael S. Van Leesten Bridge and we will seek to enhance existing buildings with images, narratives, and stories.
The third focus of AAMRI is advocacy for adjustments in signage, wayfinding in streets, community centers, and parks connected to African Heritage communities. As we identified in our Stories from Camp Street project there are individuals who have been already identified for signage whose markers are either in disrepair or non-existent. We also think it is an important part of the development of youth to see democracy in action.
In the process of researching Randall Ashe, the St. Martin de Porres Senior Center emerged as a location that he poured countless hours. The community at St. Martin de Porres is home for Randall and everything from programming to the Polar Express model trains that he sets up every holiday season is a testament to his commitment to this community. This center is next to Cranston Street Park, a City of Providence park with a mix of an updated garden, basketball courts and children’s play area.
Building on the research, oral history, and Wikipedia page of Randall Ashe the students of YouthBuild Preparatory Academy will work with the staff and administration of the Parks and Recreation Department to rename Cranston Street Park the Randall Ashe Park.