Episode 7: Rhode Island Stories (feat. Kyle Costa, Brianna Henries)

Speaker 1  00:00

Jocelyn Bell, welcome to from ideas to impact the show where students, professors and professionals seek to understand the overlap of creativity, innovation and a love ethic in various industries. I'm Jocelyn Bell, the professor of the human spark class at Bryant University, a class formerly known as the sociology of innovation and creativity, and we're in the segment of the podcast when we hear student reflections on and analyzes of the themes and ideas that emerged over the course of the class. Sometimes they used this final assignment as a chance to imagine what an episode of their own podcast would sound like. Other times, they put the episode together as part of the larger story of the class. One thing that's consistent throughout this segment of the show is that each student invites you into their thoughts on the overlap of creativity, innovation and a love ethic. It's been a minute since the Brianna Henry's discussion episode was uploaded. I encourage you to revisit it, either before or after you listen to what Kyle has to share about some of the efforts of her political career, especially especially her helping make Juneteenth into a Rhode Island State holiday.

Speaker 2  01:42

You welcome to Rhode Island stories, a Podcast where we explore the rich history and the vibrant culture of the Ocean State. I'm your host, Kyle Costa, and today we have a special episode dedicated to Juneteenth and the remarkable journey of how it came to be recognized in Rhode Island thanks to the efforts of Brianna Henrys. So to kind of state. The main goal of this podcast is to dive into how Juneteenth came to be in our ocean state, with the help of Brianna Henrys, a former member of the House of Representatives in Rhode Island.

Speaker 2  02:28

In this next section, I provide our listeners an overview of the history of Juneteenth and all that transpired to get us to where we are today. So kind of looking at the history of Juneteenth, it it was celebrated on Juneteenth, June 19, which marks a day in 1865 when the last enslaved and African Americans in Texas were informed of their freedoms more than two years after the answer means information Proclamation was signed. This day has since become a symbol of African American freedom and resilience, celebrated with large festivals, parades, educational educational events all across the United States. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas A year after the real day of the event, but was never legally considered a holiday that would be until the early 2020s when legislators began to understand the importance of celebrating such an achievement for the African American

Speaker 2  03:33

community, how did Juneteenth become an official holiday in Rhode Island? To answer that, we need to look at the efforts of one remarkable individual, Briana Henrys. Brianna Henrys, a dedicated community leader and former member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, played a pivotal role in this journey. Elected in 2020 Henrys quickly introduced a bill to recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday in Rhode Island, her proposal was driven by a deep understanding of the importance of acknowledging and celebrating African American History and Culture. The bill faced its share of challenges, however, but Henry's unwavering commitment and persuasive advocacy helped garner support from many of her colleagues. She emphasized the significance of Juneteenth, not just as a day of celebration, but as a day of reflection and education about the struggles and the different triumphs of African Americans in the community in a whole. On June 19, 2022 Rhode Island officially celebrated its first Juneteenth as a state holiday, the day was marked by events across the state, including a large festival in Providence organized by Juneteenth ri a group that was a main supporter of passing the legislation. This festival featured music, food, educational activities and more and. Andrea's efforts have last have left a lasting legacy, ensuring that Juneteenth is recognized and celebrated all throughout Rhode Island for many generations to come. Her work highlights the power of dedicated individuals and how they can bring out meaningful change in their communities just by putting themselves out there. As she mentioned before, she didn't even think she could be a politician. Her friends pushed her in. And now look at us talking about a whole podcast about her work, tennis section. I'll include an audio clip from her Brianna Henry's

Speaker 3  05:34

biggest struggle with Juneteenth by far was having people understand what Juneteenth was. Okay, back to that education piece, right? It is not fully taught or discussed to a point where my peers in the chamber. So there's 75 house representatives in the state of Rhode Island. That's where I served. Of the 75 there was like handfuls of them as we were going to pass this bill into law that didn't even know what the holiday was like, whispers and mummers were having,

Speaker 4  06:03

what's Juneteenth? What are we talking about? I'm not sure

Speaker 3  06:07

that was like the biggest thing. Why was this important? Why should it be prioritized? Why should we even be why does it go up for a vote? Why? Why are we getting loud about this? Um, education, by far, was the hardest space. The other piece was that I had made it my personal choice in my political career to be unwavering in my principles and Buck against leadership. And that meant, just for like context, when you first get elected, you vote for who the speaker of the house is, and the two terms that I had, I had abstained my vote, basically saying I will not vote for you, which does not go over well for the most powerful person in the room. They often see that as like a well, thanks for nothing. You know, it's a slap in the face, but that's not what it was meant for. In my case, I had a lot of principles about, first of all, the system in which we vote for a speaker. You know, you're expected to vote for this person. Like, the next day, you're supposed to pledge to vote for this person, and then furthermore, uphold that pledge once we get inaugurated, and you have never met this person in your life. Like, I was a new legislator at the time. So it's like, well, what's your what's your plan? Like, I want to know so much more about you. Like, I'm expected to give you power. Like, this person is the most powerful person in the state of Rhode Island. They oversee the budget spends in the state. And I'm supposed to just be like, Yeah, okay, cool, whatever you say. Like, because all all of your friends want you to be up there.

Speaker 2  07:35

Overall, what Brianna Henry's was able to do, the creation of a legislative bill from the passage of juneteen as a state holiday, was absolutely brilliant. Mentioned before. She never studied law. In the end, she did more law created than actual career politicians have done during their long careers, and it is actually impressive and incredible to say that it's a testament to her just resilience and her individual creativity, that she can do this. It's inspiring, inspiring to see her do what she has done and what she and overall, she provides a beacon of hope to the next generation of African American woman and the community in general to become politicians and create change themselves. For Brianna was able to create a holiday to celebrate the African American culture in Rhode Island, one of the most diverse states in America, and it deserves to celebrate all of its cultures. And Brianna has made sure to that added another celebration of another culture that resides here to the list. What she has done for community has gone a long way. It's gone way past what most people will do in their entire life. And remind you she's only 34 years old. Yes, three, four years old. As we celebrate Juneteenth, let's remember the importance of this day and the efforts of those like Brianna, who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the history and contributions African Americans are honored and remembered forever and many generations to come.

Speaker 2  09:13

To delve deeper into Brianna Henry's journey excuse force from the key moments and challenges that she ended up facing along the way creating this legislation, one of the most significant challenges Henry's encountered was gaining bipartisan support for the Juneteenth bill in a politically diverse state, Lake Rhode Island, convincing legislators from different backgrounds and ideologies required strategic thinking in a very collaborative approach, as Republicans and Democrat Democrats have both have to agree to support the legislation. Henry's organized several meetings and discussions with their colleagues presenting compelling arguments and historical evidence to highlight the importance of Juneteenth, not only to the African American community, but to American history in general. She also engaged with community leaders and activists to build a broad coalition of support, with support coming from many different industries and many different types of backgrounds. These efforts paid off when the bill is finally passed, marking a historic moment for Rhode Island, Henry's ability to navigate the complexities of the legislative process and unite people around a common cause is a true testamentary leadership and dedication, something that not many people have this type of sense, because hers is definitely another level. Another key aspect of Henry's work was her focus on education. She believed that recognizing Juneteenth was not enough. It was essential to educate the public about its significance and the broader history of African American struggles in America and its achievements in America. Remind you, as much as has been down, there's just as many hopes. You know, you can think about all the bad things, but what is that going to do to your mindset through life? If you think about all the good things, you can be happier and move forward and, you know, create change, and that's what she has done. Is a really beacon of that. And so Henry's collaborated with with local schools, universities and cultural organizations develop educational programs and resources to be implemented to teach about Juneteenth and the struggles and achievements of African Americans in America. These initiatives aim to provide a deeper understanding of Juneteenth and its relative relevance to the contemporary issues of racial justice and equality. Through workshops, lectures, community events, Henry's helped create a platform for dialog and learning. Her efforts have empowered individuals to engage with history in meaningful ways and reflect on ongoing fight for for justice and equality, and not just American history, American history with every culture involved, because every culture has had a hand in creating where we are today, and that's what really has to be driven home. And I and I believe that's what Henry, Henry's really envisioned from this added African American history into American history, because it's one of the same. She recognized the power of creative expression and bringing people together and fostering a sense of community, because creativity, as we know, creates community by supporting local artists and cultural events. Henry's helped create spaces where people could celebrate Juneteenth through music, dance and storytells, Eden and just all of the above in general, an amazing experience. These cultural celebrations have become an integral part of Juneteenth Rhode Island, showcasing the rich diversity that is here and the creativity of African African American community that has always been around not appreciated enough, and finally, having a space to do so. Henry's vision for Juneteenth as a multifaceted celebration of history, culture and community continues to inspire and uplift and hopefully will cause just more dramatic change in Rhode Island. Donna Henry's journey is not just a story of political advocacy. It's not political at all, almost. She was there for a little bit, and she made a huge difference. But it's far from that. It's a testament to innovation, creativity and love what we have discussed before. Her innovation, innovative approach to legislation and community engagement has inspired many to think differently and how we can honor our history, then not just our history, everyone's history, and just create a more inclusive future where every story is told, every story is heard.

Speaker 2  14:01

Henry's creativity shines through in a way. She has in a way, and she has brought people together, fostering a sense of unity and a shared purpose. Her efforts have sparked new ideas and initiatives encouraging others to find creative ways to celebrate and educate about Juneteenth. At the heart of Henry's work is a profound love for the community and its history. Her passion for justice and equality is driven for by deep care for the people she represents. This love has been driving force behind her tireless efforts to ensure that Juneteenth is recognized and celebrated in Rhode

Speaker 2  14:41

Island. As I begin to wrap up this episode, I truly want to thank Dr Jocelyn Bell, my professor, to this all, for the support this semester and just the, you know, answering the questions, just everything. I want to thank you for everything you made this truly easier than it seems, I guess, and just thank you. I. I also want to thank Brenner Henrys for giving her time, which I know barely have any, and I want to appreciate you for giving it to us, that of all people at Bryant, our class at Bryant, and thank you for support. And like I said about Dr Bell, you made it so much easier. And thank you so much for giving us so much information to use and just expand upon. So thank you so much. And with that being said, thank you for joining us on a special episode of Rhode Island stories. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review until next time. Kyle Costa remind you to celebrate and reflect on the rich history that shapes our community.