The History of Latinos in RI

Friday, September 18th at 1pm

Live On Zoom

Click HERE to register for this event.  

This event is free and open to the public.  Pre-registration is required.

Join Dr. Martínez as she re-counts the stories and oral histories of Latino pioneers or Los Pinoneros, in creating and nurturing a strong and contributing Latino community in RI.

“In 1956, the Rosarios came to Providence and opened the first Hispanic food market in Rhode Island. This Dominican family’s move signaled a new era of Latin American migration for the Ocean State. In the mid-1960s, Guatemalans came to Rhode Island as refugees from the dirty war at home, and Puerto Ricans arrived in the 1920s looking for agricultural work. From the Colombian factory workers who settled in Central Falls in the mid-1960s to the Cubans who fled Castro’s revolution in the 1950s and 1960s, Latin Americans were flocking to the coastal towns and quaint neighborhoods of Rhode Island looking for brighter futures and a place to call home. Join author Marta V. Martínez as she turns a collection of oral histories into a fascinating story of the birth of Rhode Island’s vibrant Latino community.”

-Marta Martínez, Latino History in Rhode Island- Nuestras Raíces

Presenter:

Marta V. Martínez, D.F.A., M.A., B.A.,

Marta is an oral historian, writer, nonprofit leader, and arts advocate.  She received a B.A. in English from Providence College, an M.A. in Journalism from George Washington University, and an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Providence College.  Marta holds a certificate in Translation and Interpretation from Georgetown University. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Rhode Island Latino Arts, Founder and Director of Nuestras Raíces: The Latino Oral History Project of Rhode Island, and an Artist-in-Residence at Trinity Rep, coordinating the Teatro en El Verano.  Marta is the developer and creator of Coming To America: Fefa’s Market exhibit at the Providence Children’s Museum. She offers community walking tours of Broad Street, Providence and Dexter Street, Central Falls. In 2015, Marta published a book entitled Latino History in Rhode Island- Nuestras Raíces.