Sen. Linda Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11) is joined at the Rhode Island State House by Revolutionary War reenactors Charles Roberts, Jason Roomes, Robert Geake, and Kirk Hindman on Feb. 15, 2024. (Photo courtesy Rhode Island General Assembly)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Under the recommendation of Sen. Linda Ujifusa, the Rhode Island State Senate passed a resolution on Feb. 15, 2024, to honor the contributions of Black soldiers in the Revolutionary War.

Ujifusa proposed the bill in recognition of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, an integrated unit of Black, white, and Indigenous soldiers who fought valiantly at the Battle of Rhode Island. (The 1st Rhode Island is also known as the Black Regiment.)

“In August 1778, the regiment stood bravely on the right flank of the Continental Army at Portsmouth, Rhode Island,” said Charles Roberts, executive director of the Rhode Island Slave History Medallions organization and a Revolutionary War reenactor. “[The regiment] drove back three Hessian charges and held the line against the British forces to distinguish itself with deeds of great valor.”

Ujifusa, whose 11th District includes parts of Portsmouth and Bristol, said she was motivated by her constituents’ efforts to educate Rhode Islanders about the state’s history of slavery and the role of Black and enslaved people in the colonial period.

“It is not widely known that Black soldiers served during the Revolutionary War and it is important to raise public awareness of their contributions,” Ujifusa said.