Meet Keith Stokes, Rhode Island’s New Historian Laureate

Keith Stokes was named Rhode Island’s new historian laureate in April. As part of his role, Stokes will deliver lectures at special events and ceremonies, and promote civics education in the state.

Stokes is a ninth-generation Rhode Islander. He’s also a former Newport city councilor, a consulting historian for the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, and currently the head of the state’s Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

The Public’s Radio Morning Host Luis Hernandez, spoke with Stokes recently about his passion for Rhode Island history, and how it can help us both understand the present and inform our future.

Keith Stokes: I represent the people of Rhode Island. I represent the factual, thorough and balanced account of Rhode Island’s history. That includes focusing on our successes and challenges.

I think most importantly, if we do history right and factually, it helps us to anticipate what future trends might be in influencing the future of Rhode Island and Rhode Islanders. So I would also emphasize the fact that my personal interest, which I think is exceedingly important today, is the enhancement and advancement of civics education to ensure that every resident and citizen has a thorough knowledge of their responsibilities and roles as citizens and residents of this great state and nation.

Stokes: There’s not any one aspect or era of the history, I think it’s how we tell it. And we tell it based upon factual understanding of the history as it unveiled, and we allow it to present as it evolved over the centuries. So as an example, the founding period of the 17th century moving into the Colonial period is important, as is the 19th century Industrial Revolution, and then the early 20th century, really, mostly anchored in Rhode Island by the two world wars, in the industrialization and transformation of Rhode Island as an urban center.

So from my perspective, it’s all important and it all has to be woven together as an integrated and ongoing aspect, and evolving aspect of the history of Rhode Island. One of the things that I always marvel at is being the smallest state, we also probably have in these very compact borders some of the most important historical events, people and even existing structures you compare to anywhere in America.

So as an example, if you took the Colonial era, the pre-American Revolutionary War era, and you talked about historic structures that still stand, and if you took what exists in Newport, Bristol, Providence, and the balance of the state, that’s more combined than most other states in the nation. So if you really want to talk about Colonial history and you really want to touch and interact with physical structures tied to that history, what better places to go but Bristol or Providence or Newport or other locations in Rhode Island?

Stokes: From my perspective, if anything, the understanding of history is possibly more important today than it’s been in a very long time because of what it can do for all of us. It can just help us understand that by knowing your history, it sharpens your critical thinking, which can be applied to day-to-day life. It enhances the fact that cultural awareness has always existed. It’s been a very part of the founding of the Americas. The men and women who settled here from Europe did not arrive to a blank slate. There were already indigenous people who had language, culture, political organization, and livelihoods already in place. I think, if anything, by examining these histories — what worked and what may not have worked, what was the success and maybe not a success — it’s going to help us today going forward.

Stokes: My role is to be a member of the Secretary of State’s 250th Celebration Commission. It’s been up and running for several years. They’re putting together a number of events and programs across the state. We’re quite excited.

I think what’s most important about this opportunity is that as we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and, really, the formation, the beginnings of the United States of America, most of that history is as much centered in Rhode Island as compared to any of the other original 13 colonies and now states. We may not be as large and (have) as much resources as other states, but our physical history, our documented history, is as relevant and as important and as exciting as any other state in America.

We’re Rhode Island and we have a population of about a million people. We’re not going to measure success by having 10 million visitors come to Rhode Island during that year. That’s not the measurement of success. The measurement of success is that tens of millions of people across the country in the world now know that if you want to learn and know and experience and celebrate American history, you’ve got to start with Rhode Island.