Events / Lectures /

Spring Lecture Series

Am I Not a Man and a Woman: The Rise of African Heritage Political Identity During the Gilded Age in Rhode Island

Second in a series of lectures in conjunction with the exhibition “Gilded Age Newport in Color”

Tickets/Registration Member Tickets/Registration

During the Gilded Age, Newport, Rhode Island was a magnet for leading African heritage families taking part in a rare opportunity for persons of color for unrestricted cultural and political interchange. Newport hosted a number of social and political gatherings of African heritage that ran the broad spectrum of political rallies and became the foundation of the later 20th-century civil rights movements. Rhode Island Black Heritage Society scholars Theresa and Keith Stokes will draw from the society’s collections of historical documents, manuscripts, photographs and personal narratives of the era to interpret the evolution of Black Civil Rights from the early beginnings of the 18th-century Free African Societies to the formation of Colored Women Clubs during the Gilded Age.

Tickets and registration will be available soon.

For more information, email ProgramRSVP@nicolosifreres.com.

What you need to know

Rosecliff 548 Bellevue Ave
Newport, RI 02840

May 16, 2024 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Live at Rosecliff and via Zoom video conference.
Please arrive at Rosecliff in time to be seated for the lecture.
Virtual attendees will receive Zoom link 24 hours in advance.

Ticket Type	Price
In-person (members)	$15
In-person (non-members)	$20
Zoom (members)	$0
Zoom (non-members)	$10

Tickets and registration will be available soon.

For more information, email ProgramRSVP@nicolosifreres.com.

Theresa Guzmán Stokes

Theresa Guzmán Stokes is a historian, community activist, U.S. military veteran, innovative leader and creator with two decades of service to causes, organizations and people committed to moving the needle on empowering communities of color, women and youth. After service in the Navy, Stokes centered her professional work on creatively presenting deeply researched stories and projects on the State of Rhode Island and its historical roots. She has participated in and supervised dozens of historic preservation efforts as well as genealogical and cultural resource investigations throughout New England and Virginia.

She is president and founder of 1696 Heritage Group, a historical consulting firm dedicated to helping persons and institutions of color to increase their knowledge and access to the light of truth of their unique American heritage. Stokes is also the founder of Historical Writers of America, a non-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate, support and connect all historical writers. Ms. Stokes' legacy work is as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society (RIBHS), the oldest African Heritage society in the United States.

Keith Stokes

Keith Stokes has a long and distinguished career in business, historic preservation and community development, with degrees from Cornell University and the University of Chicago. He is the former Executive Director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, Director of Business and Development for the City of Providence and Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.

He has also been an adviser for Rhode Island with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and served on numerous local, regional and national business and public boards, including The Preservation Society of Newport County, Touro Synagogue Foundation, Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission Historical Review Board, Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, Quonset Development Corporation, Rhode Island Foundation, and Governor’s Workforce Board.

Mr. Stokes frequently appears on national historical programs, including C-SPAN, Fox News "Legends & Lies," and TED Talks. Recently, he was the lead researcher and author of “A Matter of Truth” report for the examination and documentation of the role of the City of Providence and State of Rhode Island in supporting a “Separate and Unequal” existence for African heritage, Indigenous, and People of Color. Mr. Stokes is also a direct descendant of an African family that took part in one of the most documented and successful slavery emancipation and reparation efforts in 1795.

Executive board of the Women’s League Newport, c. 1899. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

“Am I Not a Man and a Brother," Official Medallion of the British Anti-Slavery Society by Josiah Wedgwood and either William Hackwood or Henry Webber.

“Am I Not a Woman and a Sister,” modified version of British Anti-Slavery Society medallion that began appearing around 1828.

More Tours, Events & Exhibitions

Guide-led Tour at The Breakers

Beneath The Breakers Tour

Daily 10:30 am

Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.

Guide-led Tour at The Elms

Servant Life Tour

Daily Starting April 1, 10:30 am and 2:30 pm*

See and hear how the other half lived. This tour will highlight the stories of some of the men and women who worked to service the social whirl of Newport during the Gilded Age.
* May 11-May 31, tour will be offered daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm. June 1-Aug. 31, 10:30 am, 2 pm & 3:30 pm. Sept. 1-Oct. 14, 10:30 & 3:30. Oct. 15-Jan. 1, 2025, 10:30 & 2:30.

Exhibition at Rosecliff

Gilded Age Newport in Color

March 15 – June 30, 2024 10:00am – 3:00pm

This exhibition explores a largely unknown but important chapter in American history: the experience of a thriving African heritage community in Newport.

Special Event

Newport County Days

April 6 – 7, 2024

Newport County residents, be our guests! The Preservation Society invites you to visit our houses and properties for free on these dates.

Lecture at Rosecliff

The Measure of a Man: Double Consciousness and the Fashioning of W. E. B. Du Bois

April 11, 2024 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Learn about W. E. B. Du Bois and his lifelong interaction with fashion and photography, as well as how he transformed himself into one of the most influential black figures of the Gilded Age.

Member Event at The Breakers Stable & Carriage House

Young Patron Event: Kentucky Derby Party

May 4, 2024 5:00pm – 8:00pm

Our Young Patron event this year is a Kentucky Derby party! Join us as we celebrate and enjoy this historic race that dates back to the Gilded Age.

Special Event at Green Animals Topiary Garden

Annual Plant Sale at Green Animals Topiary Garden

May 10 – 12, 2024 8 am -10 am

Get your garden going or find nice springtime and Mother's Day gifts for friends and family! A variety of flowers, vegetables and specialty plants are available while supplies last.