LibGuides: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: RI Organizations

Cultural Organizations

African Alliance of RI The mission of the African Alliance of Rhode Island (AARI) is to promote unity within the African Communities in Rhode Island, advocate for the rights of Africans in Rhode Island, and educate the American public about Africa.
Center for Southeast Asians The mission of the Center for Southeast Asians (CSEA) is to promote the prosperity, heritage and leadership of Southeast Asians in Rhode Island. The Center for Southeast Asians is a welcoming, vibrant and trusted resource for the advancement of the Southeast Asian community. We foster the knowledge and skills necessary to be the leaders of today and tomorrow. We promote cultural diversity, understanding, and preservation.
RI Black Heritage Society The Rhode Island Black Heritage Society is constituted for the purpose of: Procuring, collecting, and preserving books, pamphlets, letters, manuscripts, prints, photographs, paintings, and any other historical material relating to the history of the Blacks of Rhode Island; encouraging and promoting the study of such history by lectures and otherwise; and publishing and diffusing information as to such history.
RI Cape Verdean Heritage The mission of the Cape Verdean Subcommittee is to commemorate and preserve the Cape Verdean culture, to improve the well-being of Cape Verdean children and adults in the United States, and to foster brotherhood and understanding among Cape Verdeans.
RI Latino Arts Rhode Island Latino Arts was founded in 1988 as the Hispanic Heritage Committee and today is Rhode Island’s leading nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to the promotion, advancement, development and cultivation of Latino arts.
Stages of Freedom Mission: 1) To provide youth of color access to swimming programs in order to reduce the number of drownings in the minority community. 2) To build community by creating and providing programming about Black Rhode Island life and culture to a wide audience. 3) To educate and empower inner-city youth by providing cultural opportunities and access to museums and live performance.
Tomaquag Museum Rhode Island's only indigenous museum, dedicated to sharing indigenous culture, arts and history from a first person perspective. Tomaquag Museum features an extensive collection and archives that focus on tribal communities of Southern New England. The Mission of Tomaquag Museum is to educate the public and promote thoughtful dialogue regarding Indigenous history, culture, arts, and Mother Earth and connect to Native issues of today.

Anti-Racism

Non-violence Institute The mission of the Nonviolence Institute is to teach, by word and example, the principles and practices of nonviolence, and to foster a community that addresses potentially violent situations with nonviolent solutions.
PrYSM PrYSM organizes at the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation by centering youth, female, queer, and people of color leadership in its campaigns, its organization, and its communities. PrYSM mobilizes queer Southeast Asian youth, families, and allies to build grassroots power and organize collectively for social justice.
Rhode Island for Community and Justice Rhode Island for Community & Justice (RICJ) is a social justice nonprofit dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism and promoting understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education.
Showing Up for Racial Justice - SURJ-RI Showing Up for Racial Justice Rhode Island (SURJ-RI) is a community of organizers working to fight for racial justice. Through discussions, community organizing, and action, SURJ mobilizes white people to act as part of a movement for racial justice with passion and accountability.
Urban League of Rhode Island The Urban League is a community-based, non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Its mission is the elimination of racial discrimination and segregation in the state, and the achievement of parity for Blacks, other minorities, and the poor in every phase of American life. This mission inherently involves the enabling of minorities and the poor to demonstrate their full potential and to exercise their human rights as American citizens

Immigration/Refugees

Dorcas International Institute of RI Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island works to empower refugees and immigrants in the community by providing vital programs and services for legal aid and representation for citizenship and immigration, refugee resettlement, education, and more to help the people it serves to thrive and be successful.
Progreso Latino Progreso Latino’s mission is to help Rhode Island’s Latino and immigrant communities to achieve greater self-sufficiency and socio-economic progress by providing transformational programs that support personal growth and social change.
Refugee Dream Center The Refugee Dream Center is a post resettlement refugee agency. It offers services targeting gaps within the refugee community by ensuring continuation of services in their efforts towards self-sufficiency and integration. The Refugee Dream Center does referrals, social level assistance, and skills development such as English language education for adults, health promotion and cultural orientation, youth mentoring, and case management. In addition, the Refugee Dream Center is a strong advocacy agency for the rights of refugees.

LGBTQ+

AIDS Project RI APRI provide the most support services in Rhode Island for people living with HIV/AIDS.
East Coast Mental Wellness East Coast Mental Wellness (ECMW) was opened several years ago with one mission in mind; to provide welcoming and accepting services to members of the LGBTQ community.
SAGE Rhode Island The mission of SAGE /RI is to serve as a leader in identifying, addressing and bringing attention to issues related to aging among members of the LGBT community; to partner with constituents, allies and other stakeholders to create a culture in which older LGBT members of the community can enjoy a high quality of life; to support aging members of the community and advocate for their rights; to foster a greater understanding of LGBT aging; and to promote positive images of LGBT life in later years.
TGI Network of RI Incorporated in 2011, TGI Network of Rhode Island's mission is to serve the needs of the transgender, gender diverse, and intersex (TGI) communities in Rhode Island and surrounding areas through support, advocacy, and education.
Trans* Health Access - Thundermist Health Center Formed in the spring of 2015, the Trans* Health Access Team is a group of medical, behavioral health, and allied service professionals, working to improve access to culturally and clinically competent healthcare for the trans* community.
Youth Pride Rhode Island Youth Pride, Inc. is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of youth and young adults impacted by sexual orientation and gender identity/expression while working to end the homophobic and transphobic environments in which they live, work and play.

Seniors

Age-Friendly RI Based at Rhode Island College, Age-Friendly Rhode Island is a coalition of community and state agencies, healthcare and social service providers, individuals of all ages, advocacy and faith-based organizations, businesses, academic institutions and municipal leaders who are committed to healthy aging.

Homelessness

Crossroads Rhode Island Crossroads is the largest homeless services organization in Rhode Island. In addition to shelter and basic needs, they offer: hundreds of affordable housing units for families and individuals; comprehensive case management; education and employment services; 24-hour/7 day a week emergency services.
OLIS Serving People Experiencing Homelessness LibGuide Includes comprehensive list of RI Organizations serving people and families experiencing homelessness.

Neurodiversity

AANE (Asperger/Autism Network) Located out of Massachusetts, AANE works with individuals, families, and professionals to help people with Asperger Syndrome or similar autism spectrum profiles build meaningful, connected lives by providing information, education, community, support, and advocacy--all in an atmosphere of validation and respect.
Autism Project The Autism Project is a unique collaboration of parents, professionals and community members who provide quality support, training, and programming that is accessible to all for children and adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, their families and those who work with them.

Disability

Ocean State Center for Independent Living The Ocean State Center for Independent Living is a non-residential , consumer-driven, community-based, cross-disability, non-profit organization. OSCIL was established in 1988 to provide a range of independent living services to enhance, through self-direction, the quality of life for persons with disability and to promote integration into the community. OSCIL is governed by an active Board of Directors comprised largely of persons having disabilities, who play a major role in setting policy and programming.