Lippitt House Museum, the Providence League of Women Voters, and the African Alliance of Rhode Island partnered on two, well attended, in-person community discussions about civic life for immigrants in Rhode Island. The “Immigration, Belonging & Civic Participation Community Conversation” series is part of Rhode Island Civic Learning Week. 

March 12 - Immigration, Belonging & Civic Participation: Rhode Island Stories, Julius Kolawole of the African Alliance of Rhode Island, along with Dr. Lawrencia Okai and Jacquelyn Richards shared how their immigrant journey brought them to Rhode Island. They discussed the barriers they found to civic participation in Rhode Island, how they navigated becoming active in community life, as well as suggestions individuals can take to welcome immigrants in our community. Speaker Bios

March 19 - Immigration, Belonging & Civic Participation: Connecting Policy and People representatives from three organizations that serve and advocate for immigrants in Rhode Island discussed their current work and how community members can support immigrant civic engagement. The presenters were Rev. Chris Abhulime, from the new African Policy Research Institute; Dr. Omar Bah, Founder & Director of Programs for the Refugee Dream Center; and Marcela Betancur, Executive Director of the Latino Policy Institute. Speaker Bios