Join Stages of Freedom for its grand opening on Thursday, July 20th! Come to the new space in the Merchants Bank Building, 10 Westminster Street, at 5 PM for refreshments, shopping, and entertainment. The museum, bookshop, and event space celebrates Rhode Island’s remarkable African American heritage with changing exhibits.

Get an early look at the new exhibit: Do Lord Remember Me: The Black Church in Rhode Island. Purchase books, gifts, and more in the shop, with proceeds supporting the organization’s swim empowerment program. Come back to the event space for the Freedom Factor, a salon held on the third Thursday of each month.

Stages of Freedom aims too educate and empower inner-city youth by providing cultural opportunities and access to museums and live performance. It also builds community by creating and providing programming about Black Rhode Island life and culture to a wide audience, and provides youth of color access to swimming programs in order to reduce the number of drownings. Learn more about the organization at stagesoffreedom.org.