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Senate appointment of Ray Rickman to RI 250th Commission
In 2026, Rhode Island – and the United States – will celebrate our Semiquincentennial – or the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the country. As one of the original 13 colonies, Rhode Island played a leading role in the birth and history of the United States of America.
This legislative year a bill was passed to form the Rhode Island Semiquincentennial (RI 250th) Commission, giving the state 5 years to plan events that build accurate and local history, an opportunity “for Rhode Island and all Americans to reflect on the many significant events that inspired the birth of our country from a diversity of perspectives”.
30 members of the Commission will be appointed, with the Secretary of State serving as Chairperson and the Executive Director of the RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission serving as Vice-Chairperson.
Ray Rickman will serve as a member of the Commission, serving as the Senate appointment. Rickman is a former State Representative from the Brown University area of Providence and served as Rhode Island Deputy Secretary of State from 2000 to 2002, the highest office held by an African American in the state’s history. Among his many pieces of successful legislation was a bill to create the position of Rhode Island State Poet Laureate, and to name a bridge at the foot of the Capitol Building in honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He co-chaired the commission to place sculptures of Black philanthropist Christiana Carteux Bannister and White abolitionist Elizabeth Buffum Chace in the RI State House. As chair of the Dexter Commission, he oversaw the disbursement of $3,000,000 to low-come Rhode Island groups which had never received funding.
Rickman is co-founder and Executive Director of Stages of Freedom, a nonprofit that teaches swimming to children of color and provides African American cultural programs to thousands of Rhode Islanders of all races.
Rickman said about his appointment to the commission, “This appointment is special to me because I’ve worked as a Civil Rights leader, elected official, and nonprofit founder to make the promise of the American founding — equality and opportunity for everyone — real for all Americans.
The Commission will work to promote Rhode Island’s unique role in the founding of our country and stimulate the local economy through civic engagement and tourism opportunities. The event represents an opportunity for tourism, education, and economic benefits as it brings Rhode Island into the observance of the American Revolution on the national forefront, with events and observances planned with nonprofits and educational groups throughout the state.
A report of the Commission will be due to the RI General Assembly on or before July 1, 2023.
The Secretary of State’s office said:
“We’re approaching the 250th anniversary of critical events in the birth of our country. Many of those events happened right here in Rhode Island, like the burning of the HMS Gaspee in 1772,” said Secretary Gorbea. “Commemorating these historical events offers us the opportunity to have thoughtful conversations about their role in our nation’s founding. It is also a great opportunity to spur tourism locally and reap its economic benefits.”
The Rhode Island 250th Commission bill was sponsored in the House of Representatives by Representatives Kennedy, Abney, McNamara, Azzinaro, Edwards, Solomon, Shanley, and Vella-Wilkinson. It was sponsored in the Senate by Senators Goodwin, McCaffery, Archambault, and Pearson.
The bill establishing the commission can be seen here: