Senator Jack Reed Tours Newport Historical Society and Learns About New Digital Archive on BIPOC History
Photo (L-R): Newport City Council Vice Chair Lynn Ceglie, Director of IMLS Crosby Kemper, NHS Executive Director Rebecca Bertrand, City of Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, Senator Jack Reed.
Newport, RI – On Monday, October 30, 2023, Senator Jack Reed, the senior senator from Rhode Island, visited the Newport Historical Society’s Richard I. Burnham Resource Center with Crosby Kemper from the Institute for Museums and Library Services. During the visit, they were joined by Newport’s Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, Newport City Council Vice Chair Lynn Ceglie, and Newport Historical Society Board Member Elizabeth Leatherman.
The group toured the facility and research library and received a sneak peek of the new NHS digital archive Newport’s Black and Indigenous Communities: Enslaved, Manumitted, and Free which will debut in January 2024 on newporthistory.org.
“I’m pleased to bring Director Kemper to the Ocean State today to hear directly from some of our tremendous local librarians, museum curators and historical experts about how Rhode Island’s network of public libraries and museums are teaming up to promote civic engagement, boost literacy and bolster public health,” said Senator Reed, who helps oversee federal funding for libraries and museums as a member of the Appropriations Committee. “Our libraries offer so much more than books. They are community centers that help Rhode Islanders learn new skills, identify opportunities for growth and learn new passions that help enrich our lives. When we invest in our public libraries and museums, we are helping to support and expand opportunities for Rhode Islanders of all ages.”
“We are honored to have Senator Reed and Director Kemper visit the Newport Historical Society and learn more about the work we are doing to preserve and share the stories of all Newport residents,” said Newport Historical Society Executive Director Rebecca Bertrand. “I am especially grateful for the opportunity to share more about our digital archive of Black and Indigenous communities, which will make these important stories accessible not just here in Rhode Island, but across the world.” The digital archive Newport’s Black and Indigenous Communities: Enslaved, Manumitted, and Free is a free and publicly accessible online resource that documents the lives of Black and Indigenous people in Newport from the city’s founding in 1639 to when slavery was officially banned from the state’s constitution. The archive will include access to a variety of digital materials including census records, vital records, account books, ships logs, colonial medical records, business papers and more. The project began in 2020 and is one of many digital initiatives underway at the Newport Historical Society.
About the Newport Historical Society
The Newport Historical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Newport, Rhode Island. Founded in 1854, the purpose of the Newport Historical Society is to collect, document and preserve Newport’s unique contribution to our national narrative over the course of five centuries. Our continuing mission is to chronicle, advocate for the importance of, and communicate this history to a broad audience, so that knowledge of our past will contribute to a deeper understanding of the present and better preparation for the future. To learn more visit newporthistory.org.
About the Institute of Museums and Library Services
The Institute of Museums and Library Services is an independent agency of the United States federal government that supports museums and libraries across the country. The IMLS provides grants, training, and other resources to help museums and libraries serve their communities.