Aaron talks about what it means to him that the Woonsocket High School mascot is a generic Native American and that the pep rally includes a student dressing up as a "Native American" to entertain students. 

The Woonsocket High School Mascot

Aaron Perry-Williams reflects on the meaning of his Wampanoag heritage and the cultural practices that his grandma has passed down to him. What does it mean for a cultural group to acquire a piece of land? What kind of influence can this have on future generations? 

Grandma

Lesley Rich speaks about the Wampanoag community that was established in the Woonsocket area based on maps and historic documentation into the 1800s. Why is it that this history has been erased from common understandings of Woonsocket history?

Woonsocket, A Wampanoag Village

Lesley Rich speaks about the point in Wampanoag history when many Wampanoag people were sold into slavery in Barbados from Rhode Island. Some of those people eventually made their way back to Rhode Island, including Willie Greene's ancestor. 

Sold into Slavery

Claire Richards, legal cousel for the state of Rhode Island, reflects on the constitutionality of the decision of the land claim case. Can a tribe's rights be nullified based on a federal law? This is what happened to the Seaconke Wampanogs in 1978. At that time, the Rhode Island Land Claim Settlement Act was passed federally and precluded any tribe other than the Narrgansetts from filing a land claim after 180 days after its passage.  

Unconstitutional Or Not

Lesley Rich explains why the Seaconke Wampanog filed a land claim case in 2003 and claimed a right to the land in Woonsocket. 

Right to the Land

Claire Richards, legal counsel for the state of RI, shares her take on how people can best protect their rights. She believes that each group must remain vigilant and diligent in defending their rights before Congress. Whose responsibility is it to defend civil rights? Is it the individual, the group affected or all of civil society? 

Vigilant of your Rights

Lesley Rich, legal counsel for Seaconke Wampanoags, considers what it means for a cultural group to re-establish themselves on lands that they have lived on for thousands of year. 

Re-Establish

Deborah Spears Moorehead speaks about the process of researching her family history.

Deborah Spears Moorehead: Research

Savun Daniels speaks about language and cultural identity. 

Savun Daniels: Language

Vanesa shares her experience of negotiating a cultural identity that is not readily visible to the outside world. 

Having to Prove Yourself

Stories of Access/Stories of Denial is a year-long(2015-2016) investigation of Civil Rights history by youth and their mentors at Riverzedge Arts.  A group of young artists who specialize in making art in the public sphere (The Public Art Lab) looked at how various communities – African American, Latino, Southeast Asian, LGBTQ and Native American – experience marginalization and resist with resilience.  We watched documentary films, invited educators and speakers, and reflected through group discussion and writing. 

This project spurred youth discussions about social justice, activism and identity, and connected discussions of history to experiences in our daily lives.  For most, this experience of conducting deep and ongoing research, carrying out oral history interviews and capturing first hand accounts, was quite new and transformative.  

After interviews with local community members, we learned about meaningful parts of our past.  We learned of the activism in Woonsocket to open up access to housing to people of color, an example of local activism in the wider nation-wide struggle. We are now hoping to share these stories to a wider audience through a series of podcasts.  In these podcasts, we cover themes of police brutality, political organizing, access to housing and cultural appropriation from the 60s to today. 

Stories of Access / Stories of Denial

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