Sharing Rhode Island’s Untold History at the Newport Public Library We’re incredibly fortunate to have the Newport Public Library at the heart of our city – a vibrant and accessible space for learning for all ages and interests. In honor of Juneteenth two weeks ago, the Newport Library staff invited me to speak about the […]
Charles L. Roberts, Founder and Executive Director of Rhode Island Slave History Medallions
Charles Roberts is the Founder and Executive Director of Rhode Island Slave History Medallions, a statewide education & awareness-building non-profit organization which marks the landscape to share the untold stories of African American and Indigenous history in the Ocean State. RISHM is recognized by the RI General Assembly in House Resolution (2020-H 7643).
Mr. Roberts is a native Rhode Islander whose family has lived in Newport since 1882. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, attended Black Studies classes at City College University of New York, and studied at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in New York City and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence.
He has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Africa. before returning to the States to produce and promote concerts for Warner Atlantic Elektra Records in NY (1979-1993). He taught Art and TV production at the Chad Science Academy in Newark, NJ (1994-1995). As a talented visual artist and producer, he has won awards in local juried art shows and produced gospel concerts at Veteran’s Memorial Hall in 2002 and PPAC in 2006, in addition to managing and producing the popular First Night Newport, a city-wide New Year’s Eve Celebration of the Arts. (2000-2009).
Presently he serves as a fellow in the History Department at Rogers Williams University. He is also a member of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission, and he is a member of the Semiquincentennial (250th) Commission for the State of Rhode Island. Recently he was appointed to the RITBA Board by Governor Dan McKee.
Posted inArts & Culture
Charles L. Roberts: America’s Second Independence Day
Earlier this week, I had a difficult decision to make. I was running myself ragged planning the 3rd annual Juneteenth in Newport in Washington Square for next weekend, and it was beating me down. I know some of you know the feeling! A wise advisor and friend sat me down and said, “Charles, you have […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charles L. Roberts: We don’t always know if something is fragile, until it’s broken
“Freedom is very far from being the natural state of mankind; on the contrary, it is an extraordinarily unusual situation.” – Milton Friedman on Freedom. Reflecting on the Fragility of Freedom It’s curious to me that Milton Friedman – a lauded American economist, statistician, and 1976 Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences, is nearly as […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charles L. Roberts: Newport can follow ancestors’ footsteps, learn their stories
I’ve always been inspired by James Baldwin’s quote – and perspective – “We carry our history with us. We are our history.” Baldwin argues that history is not a distant, finished event, but a living force that shapes our lives and informs our present reality. It’s not something that we can ignore, leave behind, or take for […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion
Charles L. Roberts: I dream of my mother on Mother’s Day
As I considered my “Voices” topic for May’s WUN, my thoughts turned immediately to my mother, Bessie L. Walker Roberts. “Miss Bessie,” as friends called her, was born in Newport on September 30, 1925, and passed away in January 2010. One night, remembering her voice and the lessons she taught me, I awoke from a […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion
Charles L. Roberts: More voices from Rhode Island’s nonprofit community
Earlier this month in WUN “Voices”, I shared my thoughts about David W. Blight’s recent op-ed in the New York Times on the heels of the current president’s devastating executive order entitled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” The imperious language used in the order, and its dire consequences, which are being felt already, […]
Posted inColumns
Charles L. Roberts: How the current political landscape is affecting Rhode Island’s fledgling non-profit organizations
For those WUN readers who have been following my Voices contributions over the past few months, you’ll know I’ve spent a lot of time discussing the Black experience in American history. We’ve recently honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January), Black History Month (February), and Women’s History Month (March). I like to think the legacy […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charles L. Roberts: Black women continue to make history in Rhode Island
Rhode Island Slave History Medallions (RISHM) continues its mission of marking the landscape by telling the untold stories of real-life Africans, African Americans and Indigenous people who walked our streets, honed their skills and crafts, raised their families, and tilled our verdant land during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, right here in Rhode Island. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charles L. Roberts: Let me introduce you to a few Black women trailblazers who helped shape the future of Rhode Island
The legacies of the Black men and women who shaped our nation, as well as our own cities and towns, should always be celebrated, and never forgotten. This is why I am thrilled to share the voices and legacies of these exceptional Rhode Island women this month. “The Hair Doctress” Christiana Carteaux Bannister, or Madame […]
Posted inColumns
Charles L. Roberts: In 1769, Newport was the rum capital of the world and the epicenter of the Triangle Trade
Most students of Black History are familiar with the “Triangle Trade.” This term refers to the 17th and 18th century transatlantic trading route, involving Africa, the Caribbean, and British North America. Sugar cane was grown and processed in the Caribbean islands. The molasses from this processing was then shipped to Rhode Island and was the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charles L. Roberts: If the world is one’s oyster – George T. Downing learned how to pry it wide open, enabling others to find a pearl
The famous saying “the world is your oyster” was originally written by Shakespeare in 1602 to be spoken as “the world’s mine oyster” by one of his swash-buckling characters in his comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor. The metaphor in that context was more about a money heist and less about a prosperous future life, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charles L. Roberts: Marking the landscape is key to understanding our collective history
When we talk about marking the landscape as an act of remembrance, we are referring to walking in the footsteps of the people and events that happened in that specific location decades, centuries, and in some cases, millennials, before us; exactly in the places our ancestors once stood, fought, and often died for our right […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charles L. Roberts: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – The enduring power of his legacy
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech from the 1963 March on Washington are synonymous with the struggle for civil rights. His legacy transcends generations and racial lines, celebrated worldwide by people of all backgrounds. Like other American icons—JFK, LBJ, or Malcolm X—history has shortened King’s name to initials […]