The capital city of Providence is as “bustling” as it gets in tiny RI, and while far from a major metropolis, it does have a longstanding tradition of playing host to a melodious melting pot of varied cultures. Immigrant communities have molded PVD over the years, defining entire neighborhoods, while leaving their respective footprints for future generations. Look at how the Italians formulated Federal Hill, or how the Irish occupied Smith Hill early on in this city’s history. Ethnic enclaves continued to expand as new clusters from a myriad of countries diversified the city even further.
It’s fair to say that Irish and Italian dominated the immigrant wave for many years, as was the case in many east coast urban centers. The ’60s would see the seeds of a small Puerto Rican community sprout throughout PVD, because of relatively easy travel back and forth. This prominent populace would grow steadily through the ‘70s, setting roots largely in South Providence.
The 1980s saw a boom of accompanying Latine immigrants as word spread that RI was a manufacturing mecca with well paying factory jobs to be had. Many settled in Providence, while others splintered off into neighboring cities. In Central Falls alone, the entire Columbian majority that exists to this day can be attributed to a single factory owner who saw promise in a Columbian recruit. That person lured in others over time, eventually staffing the entire factory and birthing a community.
Back in PVD, this was mirrored in countless other scenarios, in pockets across every neighborhood. Dominicans would come to dominate this wave as far as the capital city was concerned, based on demographic numbers from the time. Perhaps it was the nation’s proximity to Florida, or the crippling economic depression their country was facing then, but this industrious and versatile collective was intent on leaving their mark in areas like the South Side, the West End, and Olneyville, and continues to do so.
As we widen that lens, we note a host of other embedded waves. Central and South American clusters settled in, further diversifying the population. Mexicans and Guatemalans contributed new numbers that further fleshed out the Silver Lake and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods. Peruvians, Bolivians, El Salvadorians, Hondurans, and Ecuadorians grew in smaller pockets. It’s worth noting that despite being grouped under the umbrella term “Latine”, these nations are all very distinct, with their own sets of cultures, traditions, and dialects of Spanish.
As mentioned earlier, the Columbian community eventually came to dominate in Central Falls. In Pawtucket and East Providence, many would agree that the Portuguese and Cape Verdean communities made up the majority of foreign-born immigrants. These cultures were attracted by the maritime backdrop and commerce that Massachusetts and RI presented.
A host of other ethnicities, however, have come to call PVD home due to displacement and more horrific circumstances. Civil strife, government instability, and internal violence have turned many nations into largely inhospitable war zones at different points throughout recent history. Cambodia and Laos are two such nations. The overarching conflict in Vietnam that permeated the late ’60s and much of the ’70s unfortunately spilled over into neighboring countries. American withdrawal and a Khmer Rouge victory fueled the communist regime to push beyond Vietnamese borders. Genocide, insurgency, and incessant civil wars created a mass exodus of refugees, many of whom found homes in PVD. To this day, Cambodian and Laotian communities are prominent in areas like the West End, Smith Hill, and pockets of South Providence.
Shifting continents and internal unrest would eventually affect city demographics even further. Civil war and armed conflicts permeated two particular African nations through the ’80s and ’90s: Liberia and Nigeria. A succession of brutal dictators and armed militias terrorized these populations, creating another wave of refugees fleeing to safety. Many of these folks would go on to settle through South Providence, establishing residences, restaurants, and roots.
This article represents only a microcosm of the countless cultures looking to redefine themselves when “home” becomes inhospitable; nobody leaves the comfortable and the familiar unless under dire circumstances. I hope this piece does justice to the faceless masses currently vilified on some major news networks, and I hope that the preceding paints an accurate picture of a topic as loaded and divisive as immigration. If not, allow me to sum it up: The overwhelming majority of foreigners seeking sanctuary in this great nation are not terrorists, or cartel members, or fentanyl traffickers. They are industrious, civil, and loving human beings who simply want something better for the generations that follow them. It’s not a “now” issue to them; it is generational, meant to envelope as many years as it takes to succeed.
My mother was an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. She was nineteen when she uprooted her existence after meeting my father, a charming, blue-eyed French Canadian. He had been doing missionary work in her hometown of Mao. I reflect often on her courage, tenacity, and adaptability, though choosing to never learn English and embrace her native Spanish instead up until her passing in 2020 from COVID. Thanks to a vibrant Dominican population in Providence, her presence is perpetually palpable to me. I feel her on Broad Street sometimes. I hear her in the melodic cadence unique to Dominican Spanish; and I see her reflected in the faces of foreigners and established Rhode Islanders. Herein lies the true power of immigration: the ability to transport ideas, people, and cultures across borders. New cultures will come, others will dissipate and some will spread in quiet segments. Whatever the case, always be mindful that these are human beings, first and foremost.
Photo: Isaac Laliberte