We talk with leaders from New England’s Jewish and Palestinian communities to hear about how they’re getting through these difficult times. Also, in the final part of our collaboration with oral history project Nuestras Raíces, we hear from Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera about how she overcame a fear of public speaking to become the first Latina mayor in Rhode Island. And the URI Guitar Festival is right around the corner. Artscape Producer James Baumgartner talks with blues performer Jontavious Willis. Plus, Ian Donnis discusses possible names for the next Majority Whip in the Rhode Island legislature.
Nuestras Raíces
Posted inArticle, Politics
‘I need to set the example’: Maria Rivera on her unexpected journey to becoming the first Latina mayor in Rhode Island
Ten years ago, Maria Rivera was terrified of public speaking. Running for office wasn’t in the plan. But years later, Rivera found herself on the Central Falls city council, and in 2021 she was elected mayor of Central Falls – the first Latina mayor in Rhode Island. In this recent conversation with organizer and former city hall intern Lorraine Quintero, Rivera says she ran because she wanted to address the issues facing her community – issues she had faced herself.
Posted inEpisode, The Weekly Catch
Fall River police abuse allegations, building a Latino community at RIC, and more
A new investigation into a former Fall River police officer reveals flaws within the department’s internal affairs process. We talk with South Coast Bureau Reporter Ben Berke about some key takeaways from his report. And when José Gonzalez came to Rhode Island College in the 1970s, he felt like an outsider – we hear how that experience led him to create the Latin American Student Organization. Also, we give our review of the latest show at Trinity Rep: A dark comedy about a modern-day descendent of a woman executed during the Salem Witch Trials. Plus, the latest in politics, and a few things to do this week.
Posted inArticle, Education
‘I felt that I wasn’t being seen’: José Gonzalez on creating a space for the Latino community at Rhode Island College
When José Gonzalez came to Rhode Island College in 1972, he felt like an outsider. One of few Latino students on campus, he decided there was a need to bring people together. The result was the Latin American Student Organization. Now a professor at the college, Gonzalez spoke recently with Brian Villa, a recent RIC graduate and former president of LASO.
Posted inEpisode, The Weekly Catch
Behind efforts to save Morley Field in Pawtucket, redlining in Rhode Island, and more
A group of Pawtucket residents, elected officials and activists have been campaigning to save the city’s Morley Field. Now they say the city may have been violating land-use laws for years. And many people think of redlining as a thing of the past, but the justice Department this week found evidence of discriminatory lending in a number of American cities – including in Rhode Island. Also, we share the first in a series of stories from Latinos in Rhode Island, a new collaboration with a local oral history project. Plus, a conversation with a Sephardic musician who sings songs in Ladino set to original music.
Posted inArticle, Arts And Culture, Education
Nuestras Raíces: Marta Martinez is documenting the stories of Latinos in Rhode Island
Over the next three weeks we’ll be sharing a series of intergenerational conversations highlighting the stories of Latinos in Rhode Island, in collaboration with oral history project Nuestras Raíces. In part one: Community oral historian Marta Martinez talks about her work with Laura Tamayo, a student at Brown University who’s been working on the project.
Posted inArtscape, Episode
Oral history project shares the stories of Latino communities in Rhode Island
Nuestras Raíces, meaning “our roots,” has been documenting the stories of the state’s many Latino populations since 1991.
