Thursday, February 17, 2022
It’s week three of Black History Month, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share personal reflections over the past few weeks. I want to acknowledge those who have given feedback in the comment section or sent word over to the top dogs at GoLocalProv about my commentary. Good, bad, or ugly, it’s nice to know that people respect my thoughts enough to even bother to respond. Good on you, Rhode Island.
In continuing acknowledgment of Black History Month and related to last week’s discussion about the diversity of the Black community in Rhode Island, this week I’m going to explore the historical relationships and intersections of the African heritage and Indigenous communities that collectively comprise Rhode Island’s Black community.
The prevailing narrative is that the first African heritage individuals were brought to the Americas in the bottom of slave ships piloted by European colonists. Not only does this narrative ignore the fact that many of the individuals piloting colonial ships were of African heritage, but it also negates the oral traditions of many indigenous nations throughout the Americas and much of the written historical record. The late Dr. Jack D. Forbes was a leading scholar in this field and confirmed interactions between populations in the mainland Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe predating European colonization of the Americas. Archaeological evidence has confirmed Norse settlements in Newfoundland, and many Indigenous Nations of the northeast have oral traditions that speak of interactions with such populations. Consider further that the Norse term “Skræling” is generally attributed to the populations that the Norse met while exploring what we contemporarily know as Canada and Greenland. When assessed comprehensively, this information strongly suggests the actuality of interactions between populations on either side of the Atlantic prior to Columbus’ voyage of 1492. Given Europe’s close proximity to the continent, it would be logical to assume that interactions with Africans occurred as well. I know that assertion’s going to get all thirteen of those facial muscles used to make a frown in motion for a lot of you out there; I can literally hear the feathers ruffling.
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Fast forward to 1676 and the King Philips War is ending. Pokanoket, Narragansett, and Nipmuc war captives are being shipped off to the West Indies or indentured on regional homesteads and plantations. Due to their knowledge of local land areas, indigenous slaves and indentures often escaped, prompting the increased importation of “negro” slaves; a generic term applied with both racial and social implications. Due to the shared circumstances faced living as marginalized communities in Rhode Island, strong relations developed between the local African heritage and Indigenous communities. Intending to diminish the legal population of local indigenous communities and further justify the taking of Indian lands, Rhode Island began discounting the indigenous validity of offspring of African heritage and indigenous couples.
This policy ultimately set the path for the State of Rhode Island’s 1881 detribalization of the Narragansett Tribe of Indians, which was effectuated under the auspices of the Tribe having too much negro blood to be considered a real Indian tribe any further. Following this act, the State adopted a policy of requiring indigenous individuals to register as “negro” if they wanted to vote or engage in local politics. This caused many a divide among local African heritage and Indigenous communities. Association with or familial connections to “negro blood” could potentially invalidate one’s own indigenous status. Accordingly, many indigenous communities and individuals intentionally sought to disassociate themselves from local African heritage communities.
In spite of these circumstances, other indigenous communities chose to reestablish strong relationships with local African heritage communities and created vibrant shared communities in areas throughout northern Rhode Island, and particularly in Providence. So much so that at the turn of the twentieth century Providence constituted the third most populous indigenous community in the United States ().
So, let’s ask the important question. What happened to the extremely large indigenous population that was living in Providence less than a hundred years ago? The answer to that question is articulated in the City of Providence’s A Matter of Truth report, and is symbiotic with and determining factor for properly understanding the current challenges faced by the Black community of Providence.
I think here is a good place to end this week’s commentary, with a pledge to further the discussion in next week’s remarks.
Happy Black History Month.
Not that you asked, but that my three cents, in case you’re wondering.
Raymond Two Hawks Watson
Watson is a civil rights leader in Rhode Island. He has an accomplished career in business. He is the founder of the Providence Cultural Equity Initiative. Watson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Union College in NY, a Master’s Degree in Community Planning from the University of Rhode Island, and is a current Juris Doctorate Candidate at the Roger Williams University School of Law. Watson is also the recipient of the Rhode Island Foundation’s 2016 Innovation Fellowship.
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