Downtown Providence in Providence County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
Stephanie and Ashley
Stephanie tells me that she was born in Senegal and spoke only French as a child, but Ashley was born in Providence. They say that their family is originally from Cape Verde, an island chain off the coast of West Africa that was uninhabited until the 1400s, when the Portuguese arrived with their African slaves. The two cultures mingled through the next generations, and then, in the 1800s, many Cape Verdeans migrated to Senegal, then a colony of France.
Stephanie and Ashley's forebears were among those migrants, settling in Senegal for three generations. The two sisters tell of a rich heritage—including a Spanish great-grandfather and a French great-great-grandfather—tracing the bloodlines of the colonist, the slave, and the migrant right up to the present moment, in Rhode Island. It is because of this history that America's obsession with black and white just doesn't make sense to them.
"Our family is so mixed that we come from a broader view of things," says Ashley, who was a history major at the University of Rhode Island. To her college graduation she wore the dress she's wearing now, brought to her
this page online
Erected by The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture and Tourism.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers • Women.
Location. 41° 49.442′ N, 71° 24.814′ W. Marker is in Providence, Rhode Island, in Providence County. It is in Downtown Providence. It is at the intersection of Washington Street and Eddy Street, on the right when traveling west on Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 44 Washington St, Providence RI 02903, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Providence Telephone Company (within
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 19, 2020
2. Stephanie and Ashley Marker
Unfortunately the photograph display is not on display as of June 2020.
Additional keywords. new Americans; first-generation Americans
Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 192 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 21, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
