Woonsocket Radio News Room

A new guide, "On The Rhode to Freedom" created by the nonprofit group, Stages of Freedom, is a roadside guide to African American sites in Rhode Island.

 

Spearheaded by co-founder Rob Dimmock, the guide "explores the rich and compelling contributions of African Americans on the landscape and cultural heritage of Rhode Island." Many of the sites featured in the guide can be found right here in the Blackstone Valley. Here are a few examples taken from the guide.

 

  • Woonsocket - Woonsocket City Hall, 169 Main Street. Built by abolitionist Edward Harris, this site hosted Abraham Lincoln's unprecedented second visit to Rhode Island in March 1860. He spoke to a packed audience, defending his position that the nation could not endure half slave and half free. (See plaque located in entryway.)
  • Cumberland - Abolitionist Elizabeth Buffum Chace moved to Valley Falls in 1839 when her husband, Samuel, took over management of the Valley Falls Mills on the Blackstone River. There in the Currier House (no longer standing) they established the main stop on the Underground Railroad in Rhode Island. 
  • North Smithfield - Banneker Industries, 582 Great Road. Named for the great Black mathematician, Benjamin Banneker, Cheryl Snead founded Banneker Industries, a world-class provider of supply chain solutions, specializing in third and fourth-party logistics services, in 1991.

 

The Project is funded by RI Humanities and is truly full of interesting information and couldn't be more timely. As Dimmock noted in an article published by the Valley Breeze, “We really do feel like now is the time to recognize black lives have always been here, and continue to be here. And here are ways to touch those lives that came before us in a powerful and meaningful way." Read on.

 

Former President Trump is back in court for his criminal trial in New York City. Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker returned to the stand today for cross-examination by the defense. Pecker previously testified about his role in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 presidential election.        President Biden says he would be happy to debate Donald Trump ahead of the November presidential election. Biden made the comment today during an interview with radio host Howard Stern. Trump, who refused to participate in the Republican primary debates, has posted on social media that he'll debate Biden "anytime, anywhere, anyplace."        New data shows inflation is still on the rise. The Commerce Department says personal consumption expenditures price index excluding food and energy rose two-point-eight-percent from March 2023 to March 2024. On a monthly basis, consumer spending edged up eight-tenths of a percent.        Gas prices are up slightly heading into the weekend. Triple A reports the national average for a gallon of regular is three-dollars-and-66-cents, up a penny from yesterday. Drivers are paying 13 cents more than a week ago, with the lowest pump prices in Mississippi at three-oh-eight a gallon.        Former kickboxer and influencer Andrew Tate's trial will go ahead in Romania. Tate was indicted in June along with his brother Tristan on charges of human trafficking and rape. The self-proclaimed "misogynist" has denied the allegations. Tate has billions of TikTok views talking about male dominance, female submission and wealth.       The tennis drama Zendaya's "Challengers" is off to a good start at the box office. The film made one-point-nine-million-dollars from Thursday previews and is projected to take over the top spot from A24's "Civil War" this weekend. The religious drama "Unsung Hero" and the action film "Boy Kills World" starring Bill Skarsgard are also expected to be among the big draws in their weekend debuts.       

Old News Archives