Stories of Immigration

A page describing the "Oral History and Life Story Theatre Project with Hispanic Older Adults" in Spanish.

English language translation

Immigrants of European descent began settling in Rhode Island beginning with Roger Williams in 1636. Over 350 years later, the state is home to a global immigrant population with heritages ranging from Europe, to Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond. Here we share the story of Rhode Island by highlighting immigrant populations from around the world, throughout history, who have actively shaped the state into what it is today.

Click pictures to learn more about each individual project; make sure to scroll to the bottom to see all of the content!

Note: Some Aspects of Cape Verdean Culture and Rebuilding the Temple can both be found online.

A clip from the documentary Some Aspects of Cape Verdean Culture, featuring footage taken during the celebration of Cape Verde's independence from Portugal. Here, a Cape Verdean woman makes a pot out of clay.

Poster including information about and stills from the documentary The Best Place to Live, which is about Hmong refugees in Rhode Island.

Many Italians in Cranston immigrated from Itri, Italy. Here, two photographs from The Americanization of Itri showcase the similarities between Itri, Italy and Knightsville, Rhode Island. Each community is celebrating with a procession during the Festival of Madonna della Civita.

A Cambodian-American woman, Srey, prepares for her wedding in the film Rebuilding the Temple: Cambodians in America. The film is available in two languages: English and Khmer.

The cover of a booklet made to accompany the play A State of Hope, which is about Irish immigration to Rhode Island.

A poem about the Irish potato famine.

A page from Terre Nova, Vida Nova highlighting immigration stories from Portuguese-American families in Rhode Island.

A personal story from the documentary Here We Live Again, documenting Holocaust survivors who live in Rhode Island.