The Rhode Island Historical Society is pleased to announce the completion of Tell Me Your Journey to RI – Cuentame Tu Historia: Documenting Colombian Immigration to Rhode Island, an oral history project documenting the stories of Colombian immigrants to Rhode Island led by Maria Cecilia Cano, founder of Colombia in Rhode Island.
Supported by the RIHS, Cuentame Tu Historia documents the stories of the first Colombian immigrants to Rhode Island, who were recruited to work in the textile mills of Blackstone Valley. The recorded stories of these courageous men and women are filled with resilience, cultural adaptation, and the shaping of Rhode Island communities. According to Cano, “As a child in the late 60’s, I remember our third-floor apartment on Central Avenue in the City of Pawtucket where my parents warmly welcomed many new immigrant families to start a new life; a new life filled with tears, fears, nostalgia, dreams, and hopes. I want to share these powerful emotional conversations and memories of our elderly Colombian Rhode Islanders!”
“The RIHS is pleased to be working with the Colombian community on this project,” says RIHS Deputy Executive Director of Collections & Interpretation Richard Ring. “It is the latest in our effort to document Rhode Island communities and events through oral histories for more than fifty years.”
The project’s culmination will be celebrated with a public reception on Wednesday, May 21st, at 6 p.m. at the Rhode Island College Workforce Development Hub. The event will include a presentation about the project, remarks from Colombian American Cultural Society members, stories from first and second-generation Colombian immigrants who now call Rhode Island home, and an opportunity for guests to share their own immigration stories. Light refreshments will be served. No registration is required for this free event.