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 by Stephanie from Senegal.
Erected by The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture and Tourism.
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Location. 41° 49.442′ N, 71° 24.814′ W. Marker is in Providence, Rhode Island, in Providence County. It is in Downtown Providence. Marker 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Carlos Davila (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Civil War Monument (about 400 feet away); Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Memorial (about 400 feet away); Major Henry Harrison Young (about 400 feet away); The Hurricane and Flood of September 21, 1938 (about 400 feet away); A History of Kennedy Plaza (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named A History of Kennedy Plaza (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named A History of Kennedy Plaza (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Providence.
Additional keywords. new Americans; first-generation Americans
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.
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 84 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 21, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
